Atomic Galaxy
by MikariStar
Summary: A collection of varied Atomic Betty short stories.
1. Part 1

A collection of varied Atomic Betty one-shots.

Atomic Galaxy: Solar System I

Planet 01: Extinction

He yawned and stepped out of the glass container... Wait, glass container? Was he so tired that he couldn't even manage to walk to his room? He rubbed is eyes and focused on the scenery around him, metal, shiny, silver metal and heavy space artillery of all kinds. Of course, the weapons hanger, that's where he stumbled into that glass thing and fell asleep out of extreme exhaustion. He was working too hard.

"Minimus!" There was no reply and Maximus decided to venture into silvery surroundings. "Minimus!" His voice echoed and still there was no reply. He kept walking, observing the glass containers. There were people inside, Admiral Degill? He didn't remember capturing Degill and freezing him like that... Atomic Betty? He would keep her as trophy, forever frozen to remind him of his victory, but he didn't remember doing so. Something was out of place... Maximus paused and tried to organize his thoughts. Oh yes, he took over the galaxy, he remembered that much. What else? Battles, victories, winning, too easy to be true, but it happened. Then what?

"Excuse me!" He jumped and turned to face the girl who looked identical to Atomic Betty. He didn't hear her approaching though he should have if his senses weren t so numb.

"Atomic Betty?!" He looked at the glass container; she was still inside, unless that was a clone. Who was to say that the one standing before him wasn't a clone too? That's right, Atomic Betty was dead, no wait, she was on his side. She was off battling a neighboring galaxy so he could expand his territory, his best warrior, that's right, she worked for him now. But her death was so clear, with his light saber... no, her home planet was blown up... no, it was that rare weapon, what was it called? Odd, he couldn't remember how Betty died, though he knew she did and at the same time he knew she didn't. "Who are you?" First things first.

"Number Five Zero Seven One, we've met before." The girl was most definitely not Atomic Betty. She had the same hair, the same eyes, but she spoke in monotone and said things Betty wouldn't say. "Soti, you know me as Soti. It is related to your civilization. Five, zero, seven and one, next to each other spell Soti. You told me that once when you were rambling incoherently about lost cultures. It makes no sense but your kind seeks happiness so it would make sense for you to return home, precious specimen." A clone, she was definitely a clone.

Then he remembered, Betty never died, at least not that he knew of, and she never joined him. It was all a dream, he was dreaming while in suspended animation. Many years had passed and those who escaped being captured by the invaders must have already died of old age. They destroyed her planet, his army, everything. Then the hero Atomic Betty was seen as a monster because of her connection to the Black Hole aliens, she lacked their powers but carried their blood. He was captured, frozen, sent into a dream world. She was cloned and the clones modified to follow orders. The original might still exist somewhere. When ever he woke up, when even he escaped, he would search for her, because though they were enemies, those aliens were worse.

"Please go to sleep lynx, I do not wish to use force, return to your pleasant dream." The Betty clone whom Maximus named Soti spoke in a monotone that would easily surpass that of any robot.

"Her will..." It was true, the original's will was slipping into the clones, she was mutating in captivity, gaining a connection with her others, Soti was proof of that. Soti never locked the glass container where Maximus was kept, she gave him an antidote in that occasion when he suffered of radioactive poisoning and here she was giving him a warning. He hated waking up confused, forgetting reality, not knowing which reality was true, because it all felt real. Not that they were allies, they were simply survivors. "Tell her that next time I'll find her." Because they could team up given the circumstances, make an exception for mutual survival, revenge maybe, then pick up where they left off in their eternal rivalry.

Soti nodded and for a moment he saw a shine in her eyes, as if for a split second Betty's mind connected to her clone and saw that Maximus was still alive and relatively unharmed.

"One last thing Betty, wake me only when I can actually get out of here and do something. I'm not going to die here so you don't have to check on me to see if I'll wake up. Such a good dream I was having..." It was useless; Betty was no longer there, reflected in Soti's eyes. "Tell her that..." Maximus had tried to escape at the wrong time before, a mistake he wouldn't repeat. He returned to his dream in the unlocked glass prison. One day, he and Betty would defeat those aliens, they would return things to they way they were supposed to be. They would eventually stop being allies and be rivals, picking up where they left off. One day...

Planet 02: Sometimes

Sometimes you want to follow the moment, set your heart be free and let your body move on its own. Sometimes a writer doesn't think of where the story is going but simply lets it flow. Sometimes, like right now, except this isn't a fictional world being traced by my hands. We are not characters guided by someone else, someone who may or may not know where we're going. We're people, real living people.

I am Atomic Betty in many places sometimes, and sometimes simply Betty on Earth. Sometimes I think about my decisions, when I think such thoughts are necessary. Sometimes I let myself go and my subconscious takes over, then I act on my own, on instinct with reactions faster than what most would expect from a human, though I'm not fully an earthling either. Sometimes I lose myself in the mist of a battle in outer space surrounded by deadly lasers and an even deadlier opponent. Something that happens but not right now, that already happened today.

Sometimes I look into the stars and wonder what secrets this universe holds. Sometimes I analyze such thoughts and wonder how can I know the secrets of the universe if I am yet to fully understand the secrets of those around me? Sometimes I think that maybe I don't even understand myself. Sometimes people say it's a part of growing up and maybe it is. I'm not a little girl anymore, nor am I a teenager. I'm a grown up woman just entering adulthood. Life turns complicated yet simple at the same time. Overwhelming emotions that deep down I know are truly mine. I explore new horizons and claim them as my adventures, my precious memories, mine.

Sometimes I look back at the past and think, what will that Betty say if she saw me now? The little Betty would be surprised to say the least. I wonder if that younger me would be happy to see what she turned into or if she expected something different of herself. Sometimes you can't understand certain things until you live them.

Sometimes things happen that make you happy. Those times are the times I hold dear. Like right now. The battle is over and then comes peace. It's always like this. No one knows how wonderfully predictable my life really is while staying unpredictable. It is a true irony that I don't know in what galaxy I'll be tomorrow, but I know it will all end up like this. At the end of the day I'll be watching the stars.

Sometimes I gaze upon the stars, so beautiful and free. I hear my name being called and then someone joins me. It's such a peaceful moment. Even if my heart longs for the excitement of my life as a Galactic Guardian every day, sometimes at night it wants calm peace.

Sometimes just being close is enough. Sometimes the simplest moment is recorded as a precious memory. Sometimes a lot can be said without words. Just that look in someone's eyes when that someone looks at me. It's as if telling me what words can't say. I know, I understand.

Sometimes certain things must be done. Sometimes they are left in the past and sometimes they are always remembered. Sometimes, some forget while others keep the events fresh in their minds for better or worse.

Sometimes there are moments when we can almost see another's soul. That is when all defenses are dropped and I am who I am and nothing more. Crystal clear, more than possible, some may think.

Time passes, slower and faster sometimes than others. Memories are formed. Sometimes they are remembered long after names are forgotten. Legends are sometimes, and sometimes they are true.

Planet 03: A Moment of Freedom

"Minimus! Where are my cookies?" Maximus screamed impatiently as he tapped his foot waiting for the sidekick to show up.

Minimus poked his head into the room unsure if he should step inside and deliver the terrible news. "We don't have any cookies left your evilness."

"Is that all?" Maximus sounded surprisingly calm. Of course Minimus knew him better than that. He knew that the evil overlord would blow like a volcano any second. "Tell Bernadette to make some fast!"

Minimus gulped. Why, oh why did he get stuck with delivering the worse news? "No one has gone grocery shopping for a while and we ran out of ingredients."

That's all it took to send Maximus into a rage. He stomped his feet, yelled and screamed. He threw things, kicked Minimus and made a lot of noise in a massive temper tantrum.

Minimus crawled out of the room looking like he got into a fight with a dozen werepanthers. He made it to the kitchen with a lot of difficulty.

"Minimus there you are!" Bernadette spotted him after almost tripping over him. "Stop crawling around like that, it's ridiculous and unnecessary." She was obviously not in the best of moods since she had been lacking ingredients and had to make due with what she had. How dare they put limitations on her creative culinary genius? "I want you to go to the galactic supermarket," Bernadette handed Minimus a rolled up list.

Minimus slowly stood up. He was used to being kicked around and recovered quickly. He opened the list and the paper appeared to roll out endlessly around the large kitchen. "Are you sure you need all of this?"

Of course, now off you go!" Bernadette literally kicked him out of the kitchen.

So it was decided, Minimus, sidekick of Maximus and resident punching bag of the evil lair was off to find cookies and ingredients. Bernadette might not want him to bring store bought cookies which she considered far inferior to her specially made cookies, but until she was done baking, something was needed to keep Maximus from throwing another temper tantrum.

Though he had a lot of work to do, the second Minimus stepped into a spaceship and left the lair he was happy. He liked it when he was sent out on errands by himself. This was his little moment of peace, quiet and freedom. But then if it lasted too long he would start to miss everyone at the lair, he was simply too accustomed to that life to let it go. Maybe being able to return was his true freedom after all.

Planet 04: Delayed Information

Ah the joys of delayed information. You'd think that with the privilege of traveling in a space ship at the speed of light, instant communication should be no problem. Sometimes it wasn't, sometimes it was. Sometimes the one that was supposed to send the message forgot or procrastinated or it was simply somehow lost in the many twists and turns of intergalactic communications, perhaps chocked by spam in a near by satellite the vital message met its demise.

If he knew he would have acted right away, if he knew, which he didn't. Admiral Degill then faced an important decision, to send the message to the Galactic Council, keep to himself, or simply delay and distort the information. Unexpected difficulties were met, the message couldn't get there on time, things happened; that worked.

He would not say that their star guardian lost her bracelet and it ended up in the hands of her mother who was zapped into space convinced that she was dreaming and certain that the villain was the projection of her feline son in her subconscious, and thus nearly choked him with pet treats and sent him on a desperate retreat. That was too random, accidental, full of luck, yet it worked out.

Information would be delayed, distorted, transformed and interpreted. It would become what it needed to be, no more no less. What was one white lie to stop what could become an intergalactic panic wrapped in the ribbons of a ruined security reputation?

Planet 05: Pink is Evil

After completing a successful mission Betty arrived home one evening. She strolled happily into her room after being out all day at college and then in space. The lights were off, which didn't take her by surprise. The surprise came when she turned the lights on, and a very nasty surprise it was.

"Oh. My. God." She dropped her books on the floor; they simply slipped out of her hands when her arms went limp. Then she screamed at the top of her lungs producing more sound waves then Infantor's cries and Maximus's evil laugh could produce put together. "Mother!"

Betty's mother happily skipped into the room. "Do you like it?" She asked enthusiastically. Betty could have strangled her for that.

The room was pink, very pink, ridiculously pink. Flowers were scattered about and the flowery wallpaper was the girliest and ugliest thing Betty saw in her life. She wanted to crash the Starcruiser into the room and tare the horrid flowery pink walls apart.

"You love it so much you're speechless! I'm so happy!" Her mother chirped. Then she skipped away off to baby Purrsey.

Betty twitched a little. It wasn't that she was speechless it was that the comments floating in her head begging to be spoken were nothing that should come out of a Galactic Guardian's mouth. She hurried out of the disgustingly pink room and locked herself in the bathroom where she took an icy cold shower to wash away the shock.

After her shower was done, Betty returned to the horrid room and tried to sleep until she concluded she could not sleep in the middle of such an overload of pink. "I don't care if college is within driving distance, first thing tomorrow I'm signing up for a dorm room."

Betty suddenly remembered her Galactic Guardian uniform and hated it because it was pink. "I don't have time for pink," the words slipped out before she could fully analyze them and she suddenly felt like there was a thick layer of irony in the air. She would have to ask X-5 to reprogram her bracelet first thing tomorrow too. Then finally when there wasn't a single hint of pink left in her uniform, she would feel as if something somewhere finally made sense.

Planet 06: The Name of Things

"Minimus, bright me that thing!" Maximus' voice echoed all over the lair.

"Yes, your evilness," though he had in a split second unwillingly indirectly promised he would deliver the 'thing', truth be told, Minimus had no idea what the 'thing' was. He spotted the TV's remote control and decided that guess was as good as any. "Here you go, your evilness."

Maximus used the received item to hit Minimus over the head causing the batteries of the device to pop out from the impact as Minimus' head spun around. "Not this, that!"

How did Maximus expect Minimus to know what 'that' was? He wasn't even pointing at 'that' while he said it, so it really wasn't an improvement from 'thing'.

Minimus once again attempted to interpret the incomplete code language Maximus was speaking in. He picked up a video disk much smaller than those used on Earth, that one was only about an inch long from side to side. "Here it is," Minimus announced, hoping that he had brought the correct item that time.

Since the tiny disk was too small to effectively hit Minimus with, Maximus instead settled for kicking him. "Why can't you bring me what I want?" Bring it here!"

So now the mystery item was 'it'. The clues so far were 'thing', 'that' and 'it'. Minimus drew a blank. "Um... your evilness I'm not sure what you mean by 'thing', 'that' and 'it'. Could you tell me the specific name if the item you're talking about?" Minimus braced himself for an impact that didn't come.

Maximus paused in total silence then glared at Minimus. "It's all your fault, you took so long I forgot!" Then Minimus' head was sent spinning again.

Planet 07: Of Nagging Parents and Their Endless Complaints

It was like their unofficial job and sons and daughters everywhere wondered if they got some sort of mysterious reward for being annoying. Some theorized that there was in fact a secret organization composed of only parents that wanted to bring ruin to their kids. But that sounded like one of those strange pre-contact planet shows that he told himself he would never watch but did anyway.

Nag, nag, nag, complain, complain, complain.

To him it was nothing but background noise, very annoying background noise. He wanted to yell at the top of his lungs "shut up!" And hit the other lynx on the head like he did Minimus, but that he knew would surely backfire. Because if Maximus dared to tell his nagging annoying, complaining and insufferable father to shut up, it would have an opposite effect as it did in all parents. Then he would find himself listening to his father's version of an unauthorized biography focusing on the early years of the son's life and things that he was certain he didn't remember ever taking place.

Nag, nag, nag, complain, complain, complain, ramble, rant, it had no end.

Two words floated in the mind of the super villain as his father rambled endlessly. Those words were 'head' and 'desk'. The two would meet repentantly if not for the fact that his desk was actually a high tech control panel capable of analyzing and summarizing any documents placed on it. The surface could be used as scanner, monitor, keyboard, drawing tablet and even a touch pad for videogames. Either way, hitting it with his head would do no good for the sensitive surface of the desk, nor would it do any good in relieving the headache he felt coming on.

"Are you listening to me, Maxi?"

Maximus paused. His brain felt numb from all the mindless chatter that had been forced into it, even if he tried his best to block it out. He found himself successful in that he had no idea what his father had said but the persistent background noise was enough to make his head go boom. This was not good for an evil genius or anyone else. "Are you done?"

His father looked displeased with the fact that Maximus had been obviously ignoring him. Well, his ranting was unimportant any way, at least for Maximus and anyone else with more than half a brain. Why did parents have to get so annoying? Oh, the lucky rare few who had parents that didn't annoy them or at least not often. How he, and so many others, longed to be one of those lucky few, but alas he was not.

While his father continued to endlessly rant about insignificant things that might as well have stopped existing long before the son came into existence, Maximus sent a distress a call. It was fake in some way, but very real if you looked at it from his point of view. That little traitor Minimus abandoned him to go hide somewhere so he wouldn't have to put up with his father's speech. Minimus would pay for his betrayal. For now what else could he do if not call someone, anyone, to come to his rescue?

He had called none other than Atomic Betty. With the pretense of a Galactic Guardian at an evil lair a battle would ensure. Maybe the old lynx would exhaust himself if his, as he said, 'lazy son' decided not to lend a hand fighting against the young redhead who was so full of energy, her hungry green friend and the golden colored robot.

Meanwhile on Earth, Betty was suffering a similar fate as her mother endlessly ranted. Worse yet, her father had done nothing but agree with her since he came home from his business trip. Betty had missed him but she certainly wouldn't have been looking forward to his return had she known that her parents would gang up on her like that. 'Someone blow up the planet please,' she thought bitterly. A terrible fate, giving Maximus the victory he for so long had wanted, to destroy her home planet, even that was better than the endless ranting she was being subjected to at the moment.

If they didn't shut up she would hit them with a paralyzing beam and have absolutely no guilt what so ever in her conscience about it, because this time they deserved to be knocked out for a few hours, or days, or whatever time it took for them to learn to give her some more breathing space. What was she waiting for? Enough was enough. She aimed her bracelet and "beep, beep, beep!" Thank goodness for evil! Duty called so now she had an even better excuse to introduce her parents to her newly acquired paralyzing beam and without wasting time she did.

"Sweet silence!" True that the bracelet was beeping like there's no tomorrow but at least the parental nagging was gone. Leaving her unconscious parents like statues, the red haired teenager answered the welcomed call of distresses not to find herself looking at a hologram of Admiral Degill, but rather a text message.

"Atomic Betty, I have something or other that you need to rescue or recover, etc. Get over here, now!" Soon after she was done reading the first message another text message came. "If you don't hurry I'll find and blow up your home planet, this is Maximus BTW." As she was about to call the Starcruiser a third message came. "Okay, the truth is my father won't STFU and I can't find a way to throw him out. He won't go away, do something!"

At that moment she felt bad for him. Poor evil villain having to put up with a nagging, complaining, ranting father. Determined to obliterate such a terrible injustice from the universe, Atomic Betty called the Starcruiser and her crew.

"Chief I'm so happy to see you! Mamoolah decided to really nag and complain at me today. It was so annoying that I almost lost my appetite." True that Sparky hasn't completely lost his appetite as that would surely signify the end of the world, but he had almost lost his appetite and that was certainly something to be surprised about.

"Though it is rare for me to say, I fully comprehend how you feel," X-5 agreed. "The main computer from the factory where I was made kept insisting that I run numerous unnecessary scans even if I already have and I am perfectly functional."

"Mamoolah was like that too. As if the universe would blow up just because want to do things my way and not hers," Sparky was visibly upset but seemed that his appetite was starting to return full force as his stomach grumbled and he reached over to a compartment next to the pilot's seat where he kept his emergency snacks.

"What is this? Nag at your kids until they're insane day? C'mon we have to save Maximus," Betty said.

"Save Maximus?" Sparky asked confused. "Isn't he the bad guy? And how come your bracelet keeps beeping?"

"It's Maximus sending me text messages. I guess he can't send a video or voice message without his father noticing." Betty turned the bracelet off. "His father is doing to him what our parents, and factory, did to us. I can't help it but to feel sorry for him." Her two companions nodded. No one deserved to be constantly nagged at, not even an evil villain.

At his lair, Maximus was beginning to panic. It seemed that Betty's bracelet was offline or out of range and he didn't have anything to make his father shut up on hand. Where's a flashy yet useful freeze ray when you need one?

Crash! "The Galactic Guardians are here!" Atomic Betty announced heroically.

Without a second to spare, Maximus bolted out of the room towards the location where the noises of battle were coming from. "What are you doing? Don't fight Betty, delay my father so I can escape." The evil minions looked at each other in confusion but obeyed none the less. "Don't get any ideas; I'm not giving up evil or anything I just want to do it my way."

"Don't worry we've all been in your shoes lately," Betty replied in a metaphorical sense.

But Sparky wasn't very good with metaphors. "We have? I don't remember that."

"I don't wear shoes but I do believe the captain was using a metaphor," X-5 pointed out.

"Never mind let's get out of here," Maximus insisted.

"Right, everybody in the Starcruiser," Betty called. The four boarded the ship and took off flying full speed.

"That'll teach Minimus to hide while father is complaining to me. Now he'll have to put up with it alone because since I'm gone, father will complain to him," Maximus laughed evilly at the cruel fate of his unfortunate sidekick.

"That's mean," Sparky said.

"He deserves it!" Maximus argued.

"What shall we do now? Technically I'm not sure if this qualifies as a mission anymore," X-5 indicated.

"Forget the technicalities, let's get some pizza!" Sparky cheered.

The other three shrugged and simultaneously agreed, "fine by me."

Planet 08: Evil

Power, riches, fame, everything; it would all be his. Entire galaxies would be under his command. He had it all planned out, his masterpiece, the take over that would allow him to rule the universe. With this plan, Maximus IQ would become the supreme emperor of everything. All he needed was there; brilliantly illustrated in notebook paper in the shape of a little Maximus doodle surrounded by disproportioned circles representing the planets he would conquer. He would be the supreme emperor of it all, but first he needed to protect his genius brain from being fried by the evils of math and find a way to stop being the supreme emperor of sore tails.

He walked right out of the classroom like it was nobody's business, and it wasn't, super villains to be, did not belong in high school; in a pricey evil academy perhaps, but not in a common high school on Splatty. The torture method, however, was pure genius. Complicated math problems with monotonous explanations that completely lacked sense and logic, combined with rock hard seats, a sure way to torture both the body and mind.

Planet 09: Bubblegum (Light NoahxPaloma)

After Betty ran out of the 'Madame Paloma' tent, Noah stayed for his psychic reading. Paloma moved her hands around her crystal ball which was actually a ball full of bubblegum but accidentally knocked it over. She tried to catch it but it was too late. The plastic ball fell, opening on impact and empting its contents on the ground. Dozens of brightly colored gumballs rolled all over the ground, decorating it in all the colors of the rainbow. Paloma stayed silent for a few seconds looking at the unexpected mess. "That wasn't supposed to happen," she jumped off her chair and began to pick up the gumballs.

"It happens to the best psychics," Noah helped pick up the gumballs and place them back in the transparent ball.

"Thanks for helping me pick them up." Paloma emptied her hands on the plastic ball that contained the bubblegum before. Then they secured the container in place to make sure it wouldn't fall and open again. "We missed one," Paloma noticed a red gumball sitting all by itself on the ground. She went to pick it up and at the same time Noah tried to do the same thing. Their hands touched leaving the gumball in his hand and hers around his. They looked into each other's eyes for a small moment before she smiled and let go of his hand, "keep it."

"Are you sure?" Noah asked. She had a lot of bubblegum in all the colors of the rainbow, yet he felt as if he had to say something to fill the silence and that was the only thing that came into his mind.

"Yes it's for you," Paloma replied. "Now let me finish your prediction..."

Planet 10: Nose (BettyxSparky)

She wasn't sure where X-5 had gone but she knew he had purposely left her alone with Sparky. It took them long enough to tell each other how they felt, but so far there has been nothing beyond a shy kiss on the cheek. They watched as the two suns slowly disappeared in the horizon and two of the three moons started to become visible in the sky. The sky was changing from a light purple to a deep purple now. They smiled at each other as if trying to guess what the other was thinking while they sat in a park bench enjoying each other's company.

That classic moment in which a couple in love looks into each other's eyes came and they slowly moved closer. However their eyes instantly opened when their noses touched. They both laughed a little at the odd moment. Betty gently pulled his hands as if indicating for him to stand up.

Sparky thought the moment had been ruined by his big nose and they were leaving the park. But Betty moved her head to the side while still sitting then kissed him on the lips from a different angle. Maybe his big nose didn't ruin the moment after all.

Planet 11: Last Minute (MaximusxBetty)

"This is your fault Galactic Guardian," Maximus was trying to sound angry but sounded more scared than anything else.

Atomic Betty shook her head and helplessly tried to break free of the chains around them, but it proved useless. There was a glowing purple shield was encasing them in a bubble which provided oxygen, but its true purpose was to hold them in place keeping them from floating into space for the oversized missile to hit its targets, Atomic Betty and Maximus IQ.

It was the newest trend among the newbie super villains of the universe. They thought that if they could defeat the greatest Galactic Guardian and the greatest Super Villain both at the same time, then the universe would automatically be theirs. Most of the danger had been neutralized and the newbie super villain or as Maximus called him the 'n00b wannabe villain' was arrested. Now the only thing that had to be done was free Betty and Maximus before the missile that was fired right before the newbie gave up, hit them.

Seeing his doom rapidly coming at him, Maximus thought that if he was to leave this universe he might as well do it without secrets. As the missile approached full speed, thinking that he only had a few more seconds to live, he said the most dramatic and unexpected thing he could think of. "I love you Atomic Betty! I've loved you in secret for so long and I had to tell you before we die."

While Betty tried to take in this surprising piece of information, out of nowhere, the Starcruiser followed by Maximus's ship appeared. The ships extended two mechanical arms that grabbed the missile stopping it in place. Once the missile was completely stopped and the Starcruiser could carry it, Maximus's ship let it go, then Sparky emerged from the Starcruiser to free his captain.

Betty looked at Maximus as he took the space helmet Minimus brought him and put it on. "Maximus..."

"You heard nothing," Maximus interrupted.

"But you said," Betty tried to obtain an explanation.

"It was your imagination!" Maximus yelled.

"Whatever you say..." Atomic Betty headed back to her ship followed by a confused Sparky.

Planet 12: Security Glitch

The marsian shifted uncomfortably in what was going to be his bed for the night. The couch was annoyingly small, it was long enough to fit him but it didn't have enough space to the sides. Sparky stared at the ceiling, he couldn't wait until morning. Someone, he didn't know who, had accidentally triggered the Galactic Guardians Head Quarters security system leaving him and his captain trapped inside that room.

Atomic Betty was currently staring at the ceiling on a couch next to him. At least they didn't get trapped in an area with nothing to rest on. Still they shouldn't have been trapped at all. This glitched security system had to be fixed. The last time Betty spoke to Admiral Degill a few hours ago, he said that it would be repaired immediately to stop something like this from happening again.

The security system would disable itself in a few more hours and until then they could only wait. Sparky wished he brought a snack, all that waiting made him hungry and he couldn't sleep with four empty stomachs. Even so, he tried to fall asleep reasoning that if he stayed awake the hunger would be worse. After staying still for what felt like an eternity with his eyes closed, Sparky finally fell asleep. He was in for a cold hard awakening not too long after, when he rolled over and fell on the cold hard floor. "Ow!"

"Sparky are you okay?" Betty hasn't been able to sleep at all so far.

"I'm okay, starving but otherwise alright," Sparky replied. "I don't think I can sleep here, I'll fall off."

Betty held a deck of earthlight cards, "I did say I would teach you to play Earth's poker one day, how about now?"

"Sure!" Maybe this wasn't so bad after all, Sparky thought.

Planet 13: Apples (DylanxPaloma)

It was something so simple, only an apple. Well it was simple to him, but she had just tried it for the first time and to her it was a little piece of heaven to be savored.

"You really like it don't you?" He asked with a smile.

"I love it; I've never tried anything this delicious in my life." She paused maybe it was a little too much to say. It was just an apple and they were common on Earth.

"Really? You must have had apples before," Dylan was surprised.

Paloma could say there were no apples were she came from, but that would be weird. Even the places on Earth that didn't grow apples imported them. "I guess I never got around to trying them," it was a sad truth that she had missed out for so long. Between getting used to Earth and fitting in, which was actually easier than she thought once she got the hang of it, she didn't have time to try too many different things. Ironically she had tried a few rare dishes courtesy of Betty's mother when she went over to her house. But apples were just apples and no one made a big deal out of them, so they seemed to pass by unseen in her to do list.

"Apples are my favorite fruit," Dylan took another bite of his crunchy red apple.

Paloma smiled, the skies were clear, the weather was nice, the atmosphere was peaceful and there she was, away from the big city taking a walk, when she ran into Dylan, who happened to have some apples to snack on while he hiked. She bit her apple and savored its sweet taste. "It's my favorite now too."

He watched her sink her face into the apple, it was a bit amusing the way she ate them with constant small bites instead of taking a normal sized bite and stopping to chew.

"Is something wrong?" Paloma paused her eating, speaking against the apple. She lowered the fruit a few inches from her face, lips still damp with the natural juice.

Dylan looked amused at her curious stare. "There's... on your face..." The apple juice wasn't too noticeable but it could faintly be seen against the light of the sun if he looked closely.

"What is it?" She leaned a bit closer as if to give him a better view of whatever was on her face.

"Juice on your lips," sweet tempting lips, he mentally added.

She licked the juice off completely innocently. "Is it gone?"

Simply irresistible, he leaned forward slowly and she didn't move back, so he assumed she was okay with this. Then he kissed her taking her a bit by surprise. "Sorry I..." He looked away wondering if she would be upset that he kissed her with little warning.

But she wasn't upset, instead she smiles. "You really like apples."

Planet 14: Bee (DylanxPaloma)

The yellow and black stripped bug had been stalking him the entire time and it just wouldn't leave him alone. So far the annoying bee had made no attempts to sting him, or at least if it did, he reacted fast enough to stop it. However, the bug kept trying to use him for a ride sitting on his head or shoulder, the last drop was attempting to ride on his nose. "Go away!" Focused on the bee he didn't notice the girl standing right behind him.

"Here I thought we were friends," Paloma was amused by the boy's predicament and knew he was talking to the bee and not her.

"Sorry Paloma, this annoying bee has been stalking me all day," Dylan waved the irritating bee away. It was too fast to be smashed, which is something he normally wouldn't do, since he happened to like animals and that included bees, plus honey was good. But still, maybe this one bee deserved to be smashed.

"Aw, she likes you, how sweet!" Paloma truly was amused by this, though she wondered why the bee was following Dylan around.

"Just wait till a bee gets a crush on you and it won't be sweet to be followed by a swarm," Dylan joked.

"Wait, a swarm? I thought it was just one bee stalking you." Silence grew as Paloma caught the compliment Dylan didn't even notice he had given; then they both laughed. "Come here bee," Paloma extended her hand and to Dylan's surprise the small insect answered to her call by landing on her finger. She then made a buzzing sound which Dylan assumed was all part of the joke.

"What's the bee saying?" He jokingly asked.

"She says that she's lost and decided to find someone to follow in hopes of being led back home. She chose you because you looked familiar to her," Paloma said.

Dylan played along without realizing that it was all in fact true. "It must be one of the bees that live in the tree in my backyard."

"Then you should take her back home," Paloma advised.

"Only if you come along since you get along so well with her," Dylan decided that any excuse was good to have the girl he liked come over.

Paloma saluted like she did when receiving a call from the Galactic Guardians, which she had later joined. "Don't worry, I'll be your bodyguard and protect you from this harmless little bee!"

"Very funny."

After arriving at Dylan s house, Paloma handed him the bee. He was taken by surprise when she had requested his hand then gently placed the bee on it. It didn't sting him and for that he was thankful. He liked animals and all, but Paloma truly had a way with them.

"Go on, put her back home," Paloma suggested.

Dylan lifted the bee towards to hive on the tree and it flew around it and went inside. Sometimes I wonder how you get along with animals so well."

"It's a secret" Paloma replied with a mysterious, sweet smile.

Planet 15: Unusual Occurrence (AU)

The red haired teenager shifted uncomfortably in her bed. She had been trying to go to sleep for some time now, but her attempts to visit slumber land had proved useless. Maybe she just wasn't tired tonight or maybe the night felt wasted on sleep.

Her parents were away and this time she was not forced to stay at Penelope, Sarah or Megan's house for the weekend. She was old enough to be trusted to stay in the house alone. Any other teenager might have thought of throwing a party in her parent's absence, but Betty's parents trusted her to behave well.

She was left with the task of caring for her younger brother, a cat named Sir Purrsefus, who had been her only company that Saturday. Ever the space case, Betty didn't have many friends. She spent her days dreaming about life in outer space and things that could only fit in a science fiction movie, not in her dull boring world where aliens supposedly didn't exist.

She longed to fall sleep if only to have that dream once again. When she was small, she was convinced that her grandmother had taken her to visit a space station. She remembered very little about it due to her young age, but she had seen a fish, a little gold fish slightly smaller than Purrsey. He was dressed in a formal blue uniform, possibly high ranked in their organization. Her grandmother wore futuristic looking purple clothes, another uniform apparently.

There was an accident that time. An attack was launched upon the station. In seconds it was all chaos. Betty and her grandmother were safe, but Betty was never taken back to that place. She found out the hard way that saying such things was not a good idea. Her classmates made fun of her and her parents thought she needed psychological help. Although she never stopped believing aliens existed, Betty decided to keep quiet about her experience. Her grandmother would tell her that sometimes it was best to believe in silence.

Maybe it was that attack that changed the plans. Betty vaguely remembered her grandmother telling her about how she would become a hero in outer space one day. She didn't speak of that anymore. It seemed that whatever plans were made, had been cancelled, by who? Betty didn't know. Maybe it was done for her safety, but she wished it hasn't been that way. She dreamed of a world beyond the stars, regardless of how dangerous it may be.

Betty got up and walked around the dark house. She turned on the kitchen light and got a glass of milk in hopes of falling asleep. She has always believed that her dreams were memories reflected from her subconscious and that remembering held the key to many adventures.

As she headed back to her room she heard a noise from outside. "Purrsey?" Could he have snuck out again? Betty turned off the lights as her instinct warned her that she did not want to be seen. She quietly walked to the living room where she saw an open window. The soft moonlight outlined the figure of a cat going inside the house.

For a second Betty thought she was alarmed over nothing, yet she couldn't shake the feeling off. A second figure entered the house by the window. That one was much taller than Purrsey, obviously human, or was it? Her first thought was that it must be a thief.

She grabbed a hideous base her mother dared to call elegant and snuck up on the thief when he was distracted picking up Purrsey. With one hard hit to the head, the base shattered and the supposed thief was knocked unconscious.

Purrsey jumped out of his arms as the intruder fell on the floor, the cat landing on his feet. The earthling feline hissed angrily at Betty as if the stranger was his friend. Betty turned on the lights and wasn't too surprised to find that the one unconscious man on the floor was a cat-like humanoid. It was most likely a disguise after all.

She closed the window and dragged the cat person to the couch. He was definitely out cold and she wanted to see his real identity. She was surprised to find that there was no hidden zipper after all. That mask didn't feel like a mask. He was real feline alien, but how was that possible?

Maximus started to wake up when he felt someone poking at him, pulling on his ears and invading his personal space. He opened his eyes and focused his gaze on a red haired creature, apparently a human female, who pinning him firmly to the couch.

"Who are you?" The red haired girl asked.

That's when Maximus regretted running off. He had helped his father take over the galaxy years ago. He was only a young teenager back then and thought it would be fun. He never imagined how dull ruling the galaxy would be. He hardly had any time for fun always being plagued by his royal duties. Even more so since his father retired earlier than expected in need of a long vacation away from all that work. That left him with the title of Supreme Emperor and all the responsibilities that came with it. Maximus had only ruled for a few months and was already feeling the stress of his position. He needed a vacation.

Maximus had visited that pre-contact planet out of curiosity. He wondered if he could find a comfortable resort where no one knew who he was. Though he had grown up wanting attention, he was finally overloaded with it and it came to a point where he needed a break. For just a few days he needed to be anonymous, then he could enjoy all the attention when he went back. He never thought he would end up in this situation.

"I'm the ruler of this galaxy," Maximus truthfully replied.

Betty looked at him as if he was insane, but with hint of hope that he wasn't lying. It would be nice if she got to meet an alien, even more so if he was royalty. "Are you... real?" She poked at him some more.

"Stop that, of course I'm real. Are you trying to keep me prisoner for ransom? You'll be in big trouble!" He hissed.

"No that's not it," Betty released her hold on him. "But you know, people shouldn't enter other people's houses without permission."

"He wanted me to come," Maximus pointed at Purrsey, who was watching the scene with great interest.

Betty was unsure if this was a good moment to explain Purrsey's status as a pet, or if she should just leave things as they were. "I see, well then it's okay, but you really should knock on the door first. Then again, most people would panic if they saw a real alien."

"Panic? So this is 'that' kind of planet. I thought it was the kind that would worship aliens. I better go; I don't feel like dealing with a planet wide panic right now, that's so troublesome." Maximus knew this from experience, but Betty thought nothing about reading deeper into his statement.

"Wait, I want to come! I want to go into space. You can bring me back later, right?" Betty requested.

Maximus gave it some thought. "You can come," he decided.

"Meow!" Purrsey protested.

"You too," Maximus picked him up.

"Great!" Betty didn't know what she was getting herself into, but once she realized what was gong on things would get complicated. Maybe the lynx would end up regretting ever meeting the heroic girl with crimson hair...

End of Solar System I

Disclaimer, I do not own Atomic Betty. Planet 04 was requested by Barry. About Planet 05, in the theme song there's a line that says "don't have time for pink" yet ironically Betty's uniform is pink. Thanks to Barry for the idea for Planet 10. Planets 13 and 14 were requested by Neilhd. Planet 15 is an alternate universe.

xoxox xox xoxox

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	2. Part 2

Atomic Galaxy: Solar System II

Planet 16: Zulia's Prologue

Zulia sat in front of the TV drowning in boredom. The silence that filled her house was almost eerie, save for the soft sounds of the TV. After changing the channel more times that she could count and possibly viewing almost every channel in the universe, if that was even possible, she turned off the TV, wondering how long she had sat there lost in boredom. There was nothing good on, or rather nothing caught her attention at the moment.

She sighed, got up from the couch and walked around the house. She was the only one there, the house felt so empty sometimes. Sparky was always out on a mission or hanging out with Betty and X-5. She knew her son cared for her very much, but he wasn't around as much as he used to be. It was a rare occasion when he would come and stay for a few hours, actually spending time with her, rather than coming to eat and leaving right after, or going straight to his room, after a quick stop at the kitchen, to sleep after a tiring mission.

Zulia now stood in the kitchen, wondering if she should cook something. Cooking was one of her favorite hobbies, but Sparky had mentioned something about having dinner with his friends. He wouldn't be here, and cooking for herself alone wasn't as fun. She decided to continue walking around the house, hoping that she would see something that would give her an idea about what to spend her time on.

Zulia walked by an old photo of her husband, may he rest in peace. She still had Sparky, but even if she tried to stay strong for the boy, even if she did all she could to always be there for him, and she was, she had to admit that she missed her husband very much. She remembered how she used to cook for him all the time, he loved her cooking. Maybe it was Martian nature to like food, since they had four stomachs, but Zulia's husband always told her that her cooking was special.

Letting out another deep breath, Zulia continued her walk, she still had no idea what she would do for the rest of the day. She could go to the mall, but somehow she didn't feel up to it. What was she going to do at the mall? Visit the stores? She knew every item sold there by memory from the many times she had been there. The employees knew her by name already. She had also, in a failed attempt to cure boredom, read every catalog she got in the mail and knew what item would be coming to what store on what date. There was nothing new to look at in the mall.

She could always sit in that bench next to the indoor fountain and watch people walk by with bags filled with their recent purchases. So happy, so full of life, so not bored like she was. They walked by in the company of their friends or family, smiling as they looked at the different stores. "Where should we go now?" One would ask. "Where do you want to go?" The other would answer the question with another question. Then they would exchange opinions; clothing, electronics, sports, arcade, movie theater. They would come to an agreement and head off to the place they decided to visit; always together.

She could go to that ice-cream shop instead. Then she would sit there all day enjoying her ice-cream or at least trying to. She would watch as people came in and out of the shop. Some wanted a big bowl of ice-cream while others only wanted a small cone. There was ice-cream in all the colors of the rainbow and more. Sprinkles, syrup, fruits and all sorts of foods accompanied the ice-cream, arranged in balls, popsicles or shaped like animals that would have to be eaten quickly before they melt and come apart. There was the classic upside down ice-cream cone with the face of a clown, there was a variety of ice-cream cakes in every flavor and then there was that ice-cream named after a day of the week. Monday was it, or Saturday, or Sunday, or was it Friday? All days felt the same for Zulia lately.

She could go outside and watch people walk by in groups or stay at home bored, hoping someone would stop by. They always walked in groups, or in couples, in the company of friends, or family, or someone. Maybe that's what she needed, someone to keep her company while Sparky was out on his missions or with his friends; someone that was there with her all the time. Someone like her husband used to be... No one could replace him, but maybe there was a chance that someone could fill that empty space, but who? How could she find him?

Continuing the tour of the house, Zulia stopped in front of the computer. Of course, the universal network, the place that holds the answers to everything, better than a crystal ball, the uninet, the union of all the international networks or internets. It had an answer for all questions. Regardless of what you're looking for, it is found on the online world, even friendship, and even love.

Zulia turned on the computer, her wallpaper picture of Sparky on display. She opened the Icefox program and clicked on one of her bookmarks. She was almost certain that the night before, while surfing Chef Bernadette's website, she had seen a banner ad for a dating service. She returned to that recipe which she was looking at before and refreshed the page until the ad she saw loaded. Perhaps those ads weren't so useless after all. Of course that wouldn't stop her from purchasing that ad blocker from the catalog she saw; it would be available at the mall in three days.

Zulia entered the dating service website and looked around. She decided to enter the chat to become familiar with the site; everyone appeared to be nice enough. After making a few friends and exchanging a few emails, she decided to sign up. The form was easy to fill and soon, she was a member. Now she could either browse around the other member profiles or wait for someone to send her a message. She choose to give the site a day or two, if she didn't receive a message from a possible candidate by then, she would browse around and find one. For now she returned to the chat just to pass the time away. Little did she know how that would end...

Planet 17: Two is Too Many

Betty hasn't even finished chewing the first bite of her cheeseburger when her bracelet chimed. "Let me guess, the bathroom again, or did you forget something in your locker this time?" Noah anticipated the fact that Betty would leave.

"Noah, a human has natural needs," Betty gave him a nervous smile. Noah had walked to her locker with Betty before they went to the cafeteria, so the bathroom excuse sounded a little more credible this time.

"But why would you set your alarm watch to remind you to go to the bathroom?" Noah asked suspiciously.

"Because if I don't go now I'll have to leave the classroom to go later," Betty was trying to think of a logical excuse, but those bathroom and locker excuses where already old. She had been using excuses on Noah since she was twelve and now she was seventeen. But it was a little hard to think of new excuses with the constant beeping of her bracelet and her mind wondering what could possibly be happening in other planets this time.

"Fine," Noah was obviously not happy with Betty's poor excuses. "Should I put your cheeseburger in a bag and give it back in the classroom? I know you won't return."

"I will return," Betty assured him, and in her mind she added, 'I hope'. For all she knew this could take long past her last class.

"I won't stop you, but you know what I mean. You'll, return but not on time for lunch," Noah clarified.

"This time I will," Betty really hoped she could keep her promise this time. There had been too many broken promises over the past few years and Betty feared that the next one would be the last Noah was willing to take. After those words were said, she rushed out of the lunch room and finally answered the call. "Atomic Betty reporting for duty!" Betty saluted from her hiding place at an empty classroom.

"Atomic Betty, what took you so long?" Admiral Degill sounded concerned.

"Sorry admiral, I had to give a friend of mine an excuse before I left," Betty explained the truth.

Admiral Degill understood; he was well aware of the difficulties Galactic Guardians from pre-contact planets had to deal with. Atomic Betty was the best of the Galactic Guardian and the admiral knew she was willing to take that risk. Still, he knew it wasn't fair, so the Galactic Council had been trying to come up with a way to help. "I think the purpose of this call will be very useful to you and you won't have to worry about keeping your secret anymore. Come to the Galactic Guardians Headquarters right away!"

"I'm on my way!" Betty was beamed up to Starcruiser and took her usual seat. So this meeting could help her with her schedule on Earth? Could it be that she was to be allowed to reveal her secret? No, that couldn't be it. Such a process as introducing a planet to the rest of the universe is long and complicated. If that was happening, she would have noticed by now. It had to be something else, but what?

Whatever it was, it had to be secret, because Sparky and X-5 had no idea what it could be. When they arrived at the Galactic Guardians HQ, Betty was asked to wait at a conference room with the other Galactic Guardians that needed to attend the meeting. Sparky and X-5 were not to attend the meeting and she wondered why. It was obvious they were waiting for everyone to arrive before they started, so in the mean time, Betty looked around the conference room.

Betty noticed that most of the people there were humans that looked like they came from many different parts of the world. There were a few aliens there, but not a large variety of species. Then she found a connection. All those present there came from planets that had not been contacted by other planets. Suddenly her thoughts raced analyzing the possibilities. What if they were going to fire her and all the others? She loved being a Galactic Guardian, being in space and all the friends she had outside of Earth. She couldn't think of the life of an ordinary human girl, not now and not ever. Many of the other people there were also concerned about their future as Galactic Guardians, but no one knew for certain what would happen.

It appeared that everyone had arrived and Admiral Degill finally gave them the formal greeting. After a short welcoming speech and assuring them that the rumors about anyone being fired were not true, the admiral started to explain the purpose of this meeting. Everyone looked calmer by now, knowing that they could continue to be Galactic Guardians. Finally Degill revealed the first prototype. Then more of those prototypes came in. Each one looked like everyone in that room.

"As you can see, they look just like all of you and also they will be programmed to act like you. The procedure is quite simple and they have the best technology in the universe to emulate your personalities. They will take your place on your respective homes while you're out on missions, allowing you to keep up with both schedules." Degill explained. "Our scientific team is here for further explanations."

From that point on, the scientists working for the Galactic Guardians explained how the replicas worked. They had a standard artificial personality that could be altered and improved accordingly to the Galactic Guardian they were temporarily replacing. Of course the real guardians would be needed on missions as they are irreplaceable, that was made clear. There were also still a few things that needed improvements, but they thought the robotic prototypes were ready to be put to use.

After the meeting, Betty's replica was stored in the Starcruiser in a special tank until she was needed and Betty returned to Earth just on time to finish her lunch. Noah was pleasantly surprised. "You're back," he looked as if he almost couldn't believe it at first, but he was happy that she returned on time for once.

Betty smiled, happy that everything had worked out this time. "Of course I'm back, I told you I would be back and I'm here." She took too long for a simple trip to the bathroom, but wherever she went; she came back before it was time to head to class. This time she actually kept her promise. However, the replica of Betty didn't act as expected.

xoxox xox xoxox

While Betty was out on a mission, her copy petted Purrsey too hard. The cat got angry and while the defective robot tried to calm him down, that only made Sir Purrsefus angrier. He knew this wasn't the real Betty. He didn't like Betty, but after living with her for so long, he could tolerate her. The real Betty he could live with, but this was too much. There was no way Purrsey was going to put up with this impostor. He jumped on the robot with his claws out, ripping off the layer of fake skin. The robot, being programmed to be completely peaceful, attempted to remove the cat from herself but didn't fight back since that option remained disabled in the prototypes for security reasons.

After discovering that the stranger was made of a metallic material, Sir Purrsefus retreated. He still remembered that crazy machine that chased him with a hammer years before. The robot followed him to the kitchen where the bowl of ice-cream Betty was eating before she got called on a mission was left to melt. Being the smart cat he is, Purrsey tried to repeat something he once did by accident so he set things up the way he remembered them then.

Purrsey took the spoon and put the large end under the bowl of melted ice-cream, then hit the other end down with his paw. The bowl of melted ice-cream went flying and landed on the robot's head, just like it had landed on Betty's head in the past. With the fake skin covers missing, a few wires were exposed to the melted ice-cream and short circuited. The robot's self defense feature was then activated when the settings failed and Sir Purrsefus was in trouble.

Lucky for the cat, the robot was a little clumsy, so he could easily get away, however it destroyed the house. By the time Betty returned, the furniture was full of holes and everything was burned or broken, it was miracle no one had called the police. To top it all up, Betty had to disable the robot the hard way, since it wouldn't respond to voice commands anymore. It was like one error caused another and soon the entire program became corrupt and violent.

Betty informed the Galactic Guardians of the situation and Admiral Degill made sure a cleaning crew was sent. Fortunately, with their advanced technology, they managed to fix the house before her parents returned and Purrsey was left as the only witness to the disaster.

Planet 18: The Dimension Where Things Get Lost

Our story starts in the peaceful, quiet and calm depths of space. "Minimus!" A voice echoed all over the area defying the laws of physics because a sound, however loud, should not be heard where there's no air. Okay. so maybe it's not so peaceful, quiet or calm. "Where is it?" The same voice asked. It appeared to be coming from some sort of space base with a very original design. The place was known to many as Maximus IQ's Lair. "I can't find it!" The voice belonged to Maximus, who was quite upset over a lost item.

"What are you looking for your evilness?" His sidekick, the unique two faced alien, Minimus PU asked.

"Why did it take you so long to get here?" Maximus complained before even saying why he called Minimus in the first place.

"It took me a while to navigate around this mess," Minimus replied with his normal face. "I hope you get lost in it!" His angry face added.

The lair was a mess of random items that had been thrown in every direction. It looked like a hurricane had been trapped in there, but it was in fact Maximus desperately searching for a very important item he had misplaced. "I can't find the TV's remote control!" The lynx super villain made it sound as if his very life depended on it.

Minimus sighed hopelessly. "You could simply use the buttons on the TV to change channels."

Maximus looked horrified, as if Minimus had said a very terrible thing. "Are you insane? Who would do such a thing? I can't get up very time there's a boring commercial on! I need the remote control. I need it! I need it! I need it!" Maximus jumped as he repeated this over and over. A temper tantrum had started and Minimus was not looking forward to it.

"Calm down your impatientness I'm sure you can find it." Minimus desperately tried to calm Maximus. If only he used that kind of energy to fight Atomic Betty she'd be in for a real challenge.

"I already looked everywhere and it's not here," Maximus' temper tantrum appeared to quiet down a little and now he had a sad kitten look. His precious remote control was gone and he would never see it again.

"We can buy another one," Minimus suggested. That was a mistake.

Maximus had a deadly glare that would make Atomic Rodger grow hair from the scare if he saw it. "What did you say?" Maximus asked in a serious and accusing tone.

Minimus gulped and backed away slowly. "No, nothing your evilness."

"I don't want one of those hard to program generic remote controls; I want my remote control back!" Maximus yelled.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile on Earth, Betty heard the faint sound of the echo of someone yelling about a remote control. She gazed out the window from her classroom and curiously looked up at the sky. That voice kind of sounded like Maximus, but it couldn't be him. She shook her head and turned her attention to her notes. Today's lesson was so boring she was imagining things. She continued drawing doodles as time continued to pass painfully slow.

xoxox xox xoxox

Back at the lair, an explosion was heard, followed by a female scream. "It came from the kitchen," Minimus rushed over.

"What was it?" Maximus curiously followed. He postponed his remote control search for a moment to go find out what was happening in the kitchen.

Upon arriving, they found that the kitchen was covered in a strange sticky stuff. "It's ruined!" Chef Bernadette, who was also covered in the peach colored sticky stuff, cried.

"What is that stuff?" Maximus curiously inquired.

"This was going to be a masterpiece of a cake. It was going to be a true work of art. You're not supposed to make noise while it's being prepared, but I knew keeping a certain someone quiet would be impossible. So instead I put a sound shield around the oven, but it got overloaded by a certain some one and this was the result" Bernadette was obviously referring to Maximus.

"See what you did Minimus? You ruined the cake!" Maximus hit the sidekick on the head.

"Ouch! It wasn't me," Minimus complained.

"It was you!" Bernadette pointed at Maximus. She was not one bit happy about her work being ruined.

"It couldn't have possibly been me. My voice is like a song that would make the cake even yummier." There was a moment of silence after Maximus voice his narcissistic self opinion, in which both Bernadette and Minimus gave him an odd look.

"Call me when you find the remote control, until then I'm on vacation." Bernadette stomped out of the kitchen to get herself cleaned up before leaving. Maybe after Maximus found his precious remote control, his level of annoyance would go back to normal.

"But who's going to make my food?" Maximus called after the chef.

"That's not my problem!" Bernadette yelled.

With the chef gone, that left the lair with Maximus, Minimus and Maximus' army, all of which was suffering from a severe headache caused by their evil leader. "Clean up this mess!" Maximus ordered. Minimus had no choice but to start cleaning the kitchen, while listening to the insistent ringing in his ears.

xoxox xox xoxox

Maximus returned to the livingroom to his search for the remote control. He threw several items out of the way until he found a couch buried deep under them and sat down. He tried to concentrate and retrace his steps. What did he do with the TV's remote control? He closed his eyes and focused. His entire day played like a movie in his mind.

It all started when the alarm clock sounded off that morning. Maximus was still sleepy so instead of getting up he threw it across the room. Then Minimus came to wake him up, knowing that if he didn't Maximus would be angry. But Maximus was angry anyway and unfortunately Minimus suffered the same fate as that poor alarm clock.

Finally, Maximus got up and followed the same routine that people usually follow in the morning. Except he accidentally swallowed some tooth paste, that was certainly not a part of the daily routine. He blamed it on Minimus, who wasn't even there at the time.

Bernadette made breakfast and Maximus ate it. So far it looked like another ordinary day. After breakfast, Maximus watched some TV. He remembered he had the remote control then. He was going to watch something that afternoon and wanted to make sure he didn't lose it. What did he do with it?

"Your evilness I'm done cleaning the kitchen," Minimus was used to cleaning and finished pretty quickly.

"You idiot!" Maximus threw a near by lamp at Minimus. "I was about to remember what happened with the remote control and you made me break my concentration!"

"Sorry your evilness," Minimus' normal face apologized. "I hope you break a few bones next time," his angry face added before he could stop it.

"You!" Maximus pointing at Minimus.

Maximus's finger was so close, that Minimus took some time to notice the sharp claw attached to it, which for some unknown reason he didn't notice before. "I didn't mean to say that your evilness. I'm your loyal sidekick!"

"Shut up!" Maximus yelled. "Don't you play innocent I know why you didn't want me to remember what happened to the remote control. You took it!"

"No, I didn't!" Minimus hopelessly tried to defend himself.

"Don't lie! I know you have it. Where are you hiding it?" Maximus insisted.

"I didn't do it! Honest! I didn't take it!" Minimus tried to say.

"You will return the remote control immediately or else," Maximus aimed a laser gun at Minimus.

Minimus jumped back. "I didn't do it!"

"I'm not going to believe that!" Maximus was stubborn as always.

"But it's true!" Minimus backed away into a corner, trapped.

Then Maximus randomly remembered something, he put the remote in his robe so he wouldn't lose it. "The remote control, I know where it is!"

Minimus took a deep breath as if he has been holding it all that time. "I told you I didn't," he stopped. Saying I told you so might not be such a good idea. "I'm happy you remembered what happened to it your evilness."

"Here it is!" Maximus said as he pulled out a sunana from his sleeve. "I don't remember putting that there," he threw the fruit.

Minimus caught the sunana and ate it. It was like a combination between an orange and a banana. Then Maximus pulled countless cards out. "No wonder he always wins," Minimus grumbled.

"I know it's in here," Maximus kept searching and soon there was a large pile of weapons all around him, including laser guns, light sabers, explosive devices and many other things.

How in the world did Maximus manage to carry all those things in his robe, nobody knew. Perhaps it was made of a high tech or magical material that allowed him to carry more things that could actually fit in it according to the laws of logic. Not even Minimus knew.

"No, that's not it," Maximus pulled out a Max Land plushie. "Another one?" More Max Land plushies were thrown into a pile. There was a pair of ducky slippers, a pair of bunny slippers and another pair of ducky slippers. An Atomic Betty doll with the words 'I'm stupid' written on her forehead, a crown, a toy space ship, a yoyo, a Maximus keychain with keys that he thought were long lost, a computer mouse, sunglasses, a bottle of Busy Maxx and a bag of cat treats illegally imported from a pre-contact planet called Earth.

It wasn't over, Maximus continued emptying the contents of his robe, everything except for himself. There was the head of another Atomic Betty doll, a picture of Maximus with his autograph, the headless body of the Atomic Betty doll, a melted popsicle luckily still inside it's plastic bag, a scented candle, a lighter, a few candies, a bag of lynxian chips and countless other random items. "Found it!" Maximus announced victoriously, holding up the TV's remote control.

"I didn't know you carried that many things in there," Minimus was astonished. "No wonder the laundry is so heavy," he grumbled. Minimus never really tried to empty the clothes, he just threw them in the washing machine as they were.

"Maybe I should finish emptying it and see what I need and I don't need to carry." Maximus set the remote control aside and continued puling things out of his robe. A mouse pad with his picture, a fur brush, a framed picture of himself, a few disks, a rubber ducky, a paper airplane, a pen, a pencil, a little notebook, his autobiography, a photo album full of pictures of him, some batteries and a ball of yarn.

Wait, a ball of yarn? Oh, oh, this might take a while. Maximus started playing with the yarn until he got tangled up in it and Minimus had to come to his rescue. That didn't work out very well, because Minimus got trapped as well and it took some time for them to get free.

Once they escaped from the yarn, Maximus continued taking random items out of his robe including a spoon, a bowling ball, a hammer, a package he forgot to mail and a few other things. "I think that's all of it. I wonder what kind of things I left in my other robes and jeans. I guess I'll have to empty those some day too and see what's in there. Minimus pick up these things and organize them." Something important then came to Maximus attention. "Where's the TV's remote control?"

Minimus froze, "I thought you had it."

"I put it somewhere around here," Maximus realized it must have been buried in all the junk and once again lost. "Find it quick, before the show starts!"

"What are you going to watch?" Minimus asked as he started his search.

"It's a special about Atomic Betty's greatest battles, I must be in it. Less talking and more searching, find it!"

Planet 19: The Supreme Emperor and the Seed

Today felt like it was longer than any other day. The day endlessly dragged on and Maximus thought that night would never come. He moved towards his bed in slow small steps, trying to stay awake long enough to get there. He climbed on the bed and let himself fall on it once he was on top.

Maximus' bed was a tall mountain of soft mattresses and pillows and the galaxy was in complete silence tonight, so he should have no trouble sleeping, but there was something that kept him awake. He rolled over and tried to fall asleep, but still something bothered him. He moved the pillows away, searching for any kind of small item that didn't belong there, but found none.

Once again, Maximus tried to sleep, but no matter how much he tried he couldn't fall asleep. He was certainly tired and everything was in silence, but there was something on the bed that bothered him. He threw the pillows out of the way and pulled off the sheet. He expected to find the cause of his problem there, but there was nothing there, save for the soft mattress.

Maximus jumped off his bed and landed on his feet. The bed looked comfortable, but he felt as if there was something right in the middle poking him, except it felt more like it was stabbing him like a knife, but there was nothing there.

"Minimus!" Maximus called for his sidekick, his voice echoing in the silence of the lair.

"Yes your sleepy evilness?" A sleepy Minimus stood at the door; he thought Maximus had fallen asleep by now.

"I can't sleep!" As soon as Maximus informed him of the dilemma, Minimus came up with various alternatives to solve the problem. He tried everything from milk to lullabies, but Maximus was still awake.

"Shut up!" Maximus threw a pillow at Minimus. "You're a horrible singer! The real problem is that my bed isn't soft enough."

Minimus looked at the bed, it looked soft enough. He climbed on the bed to try it out and it was very comfortable. It was in fact so soft and comfortable that Minimus fell asleep. The sidekick woke up when Maximus kicked him and he fell on floor. "Ow! The bed is very soft, you should have no trouble falling asleep your evilness!" Than his angry face added, "rest in peace."

"There's something under it, it s something small but hard. Get it out!" Maximus started to throw a temper tantrum.

Minimus had cleaned up the room today and for that he had to move the bed. It had been a mess because the tower of mattresses and pillows fell, but he placed everything where it belonged, so there should be no problem.

While Minimus searched for whatever was keeping Maximus awake, Maximus noticed a strange looking plant that wasn't there before. "What is this thing?"

"It's a plant your evilness," Minimus replied, "I thought it looked nice."

"I don't like it," Maximus frowned and walked over to where he bed was, or at least the bottom mattress, since his bed was all over the room at the moment. Minimus wondered why he needed that many mattresses and pillows anyway. When Minimus lifted the very last mattress to look under it, Maximus saw something. "What is that little thing there?"

Minimus picked up what Maximus was pointing at. "It's a seed your evilness, but it's so small I don't think this is the cause of the problem. I'm sure you can't even feel it."

Maximus snatched the seed from his sidekick, threw it on the floor and jumped on it many times. "How dare you keep me awake you worthless seed!" He kicked Minimus out of the room, sending him crashing into a wall. "This is your fault for putting that ugly thing here!" Maximus picked up the potted plant and threw it at Minimus, who luckily was able to jump out of the way at the last second. Then Maximus closed the door, picked a random mattress to sleep on, grabbed the first pillow he saw and finally fell asleep.

"I hope you have nightmares!" Minimus' angry face grumbled out in the hall. Then he started to clean up the mess Maximus made when he threw the potted plant. All that trouble over a seed? It couldn't be, it just couldn't, but why did the situation sound so familiar? Minimus remembered a story he heard long ago about a princess and a pea.

Maybe Maximus was the long lost prince of somewhere, maybe Lynxia? No, that couldn't be. But then how could a tiny seed keep him awake? Minimus decided not to think about it anymore. Sometimes with Maximus, things didn't make sense and there was no point in trying to make sense out of them.

Planet 20: Sugar and Doom

The lynx super villain Maximus, also known as Max Sr., analyzed the cruel dilemma that life had presented him with. Who would have known that what possibly was someone's simple mistake, could lead to such disaster? If he acted now, this madness could be stopped and tomorrow his home wouldn't suffer what it did today. Or he could take the problem to someone else and rest easy with the satisfaction that he did something very evil. He didn't cause it directly, but he provided what was needed for it to happen.

Before the cookie factory knew that it was producing deadly weapons instead of cookies, he had obtained the key to universal take over. Sure that hurricane of chaos that was unleashed in his home appeared to be impossible to control, but he would find a way to control it. Then he would unleash his ultimate weapon on the universe. He laughed evilly thinking of his plan and for a second felt like he had an echo, a very high pitched echo that didn't quite sound like his voice.

Max Sr. looked to the floor beside him where the high pitched sound was coming from and found his three year old son laughing in an imitation of his father's evil laugh, while waiving his empty box of cookies up and down indicating that he wanted more. "Cookie!" Of course the kitten's laugh didn't sound evil at all. His father never thought that his son would later develop an evil laugh that surpassed his own. The kitten was given a new box of cookies and continued to accumulate hyperness. At this rate, tomorrow will definitely be doom's day for the universe.

Still thinking about his next evil plan, Max Sr. turned on the TV. Whatever news was on would be insignificant next to the disasters he would cause tomorrow. "And don't forget our warning," the reporter was caught mid sentence when the TV was turned on. "All 'Yummy-Yummy Sugah-Coo' sugar coated cookies by mistake were made of only sugar and no cookie dough. If you have already purchased them, bring them back to the nearest store and you will be given a replacement box of 'Yummy-Yummy Sugah-Coo' cookies. Make sure to keep them away from children or you'll have a very hyper child." Max Sr. turned off the TV.

Thanks to the cookie accident, he had discovered the most deadly weapon, sugar. Soon he would unleash the deadly hurricane upon the universe. There was no way he was the only one who would experience this chaos, he would use it to take over the universe. Soon the universe would suffer the wrath of his hyper son, too chaotic to survive and too cute to run away from.

End of Solar System II

Disclaimer, I do not own Atomic Betty.

On Planet 18 credits for the idea to name the orange-banana fruit 'sunana' goes to Barry, the idea about Maximus wearing jeans is from Julayla and the story was inspired by Juggalomalice, who wanted to know what Maximus carried in his robe. Planet 19 is based on the classic story about the princess and the pea. 


	3. Part 3

Atomic Galaxy: Solar System III

Planet 21: Prehistoric Betty

The story starts in a jungle environment. Some noises are heard near by. It sounds like a roar, someone or something is angry. Suddenly a human woman runs past the camera. The camera follows her, focusing on her image. She has long red hair, green eyes and some unidentified pink material tied around herself as clothing. She's holding something wrapped in a large green leaf. Why is the cavewoman in such a hurry?

A blur runs past the camera. The camera focuses on it and it looks like some sort of prehistoric feline. The colors of his fur look similar to that of a siamese cat, but this feline is a lot bigger, similar to a sabertooth. He has sharp claws and teeth and is running after the cavewoman.

The cavewoman speeds up as much as she can, but her predator doesn't give up. She slides down a cliff trying to get away. The river is in sight. Surely the feline won't be able to cross it; she knows that he doesn't like water.

The feline jumps, landing at the base of the small cliff in front of her. She stops suddenly and changes direction. It looks like she's approaching a dead end. A tall mountain of stone lies ahead and it is too stiff so she can't climb it.

With her back against the stone wall, she awaits for the feline to approach. It looks like a confrontation will be inevitable. She picks up a broken branch and holds it like a sword, but the feline easily tears it apart.

The cavewoman refuses to let go of the item she holds wrapped in a large green leaf. The feline jumps for the attack. The cavewoman drops to the floor and escapes. The feline had jumped over her and unable to stop in mid air, he crashes into the stone wall of the mountain.

The cavewoman runs towards the river. She's close to reaching it when the feline starts chasing her again. She jumps into the river and struggles to swim to the other side, still holding the item wrapped in the leaf tightly. Finally, she reaches the other side.

The feline walks back and forth on the river's edge, unsure of what he should do. It looks like the cavewoman is safe, but the feline won't let her escape that easily. He backs away a little then runs and jumps all the way to the other side of the river. How is that possible? His kind had never left their territory before. Maybe it's because of the item she carries wrapped in the leaf. It must be vital for both their groups.

She screams in a prehistoric language, warning her tribe that she is coming with an enemy in pursuit. A green cave man with a very big nose hears and notifies the others in alarm.

Two fish-like creatures swim in a near by lake. There is a small golden male and a large purple female. A bald cave man with straw simulating hair, follows the green cave man towards where they heard the woman. The fish-like creatures stay; they can leave the lake, but move very slowly on land. It would take a little more evolution for them to move as fast as the others.

A large piece of gold with two lines carved on it from the top left to the bottom right and from the top right to the bottom left is in a corner placed on top of a rock. The gold doesn't move or do anything, but it is treated as part of their group.

The cavewoman sees her allies up ahead, this time a battle would be inevitable. The three prepare to defend themselves against the feline. They hear some noises in the bushes near by. A strange creature with two head emerges from there, followed by strange blob like creatures.

The human caveman holds on to the straw above his head as a breeze begins to blow. The red haired cavewoman says something to him in an ancient language, probably warning him of the more important situation they have to deal with.

The green caveman looks worried about the enemy's presence in their tribe. The cavewoman gives them a few words of hope and removes the large green leaf that covers the item she had been protecting. It was a stone but not just any stone, this one was circular, a wheel!

She attempts to communicate with the feline pointing at the circular stone and then in direction to her tribe, indicating it belonged to them.

The feline only roared, he was determined to steal their priced possession, but they would fight for it. They would fight for it to the end... or until Betty woke up.

xoxox xox xoxox

The sound of her favorite song filled the room as the red haired human girl opened her green eyes. She yawned and jumped out of bed. That had to be her strangest dream so far.

Planet 22: Voice

"Not now Minimus I'm busy," Maximus typed in the required information to blow up a planet. He had randomly chosen a populated pre-contact planet called... He didn't know, but who cares? It would be gone in no time. It was Er-something. Earth? Yes, something like that.

This new planetary destruction weapon worked with a small power source, a very powerful high tech super battery that was stolen from the Galactic Guardians. Atomic Betty had been sent to recover it and she had gotten the battery already. Maximus was too busy deciding what planet he would destroy first and didn't notice Betty and her crew sneak in and out. Minimus had seen them and tried to get Maximus' attention, but it was impossible.

"I told you not to bother me now Minimus," Maximus repeated, more annoyed this time than the last seven. Why couldn't his sidekick stand still for a moment until he was done programming his new weapon of mass destruction? "There, I think that does it." The controls were quite complicated, but it was finally working. "Now to blow up that planet," a picture of Earth appeared on the screen, but just as Maximus was about to active the planetary destruction device, Minimus pulled on his robe again. "What?" Maximus yelled impatiently.

The sidekick pointed at the generator which was located not too far from the main control area. It was an odd design, but it was made possible due to the small size of the super battery attached to the generator.

Maximus looked towards were his sidekick pointed to find that the little door, behind which the five inch tall battery was kept, was open and the battery was missing. "Where's the battery?"

Minimus pretended to press a button on an imaginary bracelet. Then he pretended to take the non-existent battery from the generator and headed towards the exit of the room. He returned to see if Maximus got the message.

"Atomic Betty? She was here? Why didn't you tell me?" Maximus hit his sidekick on the head. Without that battery, his new weapon was useless.

Minimus's head spun around changing to his angry face. The look in his eyes appeared to blame Maximus for what had happened.

Maximus, for some unknown reason, decided that he wanted to try hot sauce. However, he wasn't satisfied with what he had and ordered chef Bernadette to create a new kind of hot sauce worthy of him. The end result was quite impressive.

The hot sauce was so hot it had to be served in a special material because any other kind of dish would melt. It looked like boiling lava. As soon as Maximus saw it, he started having second thoughts about eating it. Bernadette insisted that he should try it, because it was the only hot sauce worthy of him. She had an amused grin as she made her sarcastic comment.

Minimus was the unfortunate one who ended up trying the hot sauce and burning his throat. Now his voice was gone and probably won't return for a few more days, maybe even weeks, or months, or wouldn't come back at all. That is why he couldn't warn Maximus of Atomic Betty's arrival.

"Let's call it a day," Maximus decided. Atomic Betty had already ruined is plans for today, so he might as well take the rest of the day off.

Minimus only nodded.

Maximus hated to admit it, but he was starting to miss the compliments Minimus gave him to avoid being hit on the head or kicked across the room. He was even starting to miss the sarcastic remarks that came from his other face. Maximus didn't know what he could do, but he had to do something to make his sidekick's voice return and it had to be soon.

Planet 23: Invisible

A little girl with long red hair in a ponytail followed a woman in a garden. The woman stopped just a few feet away from the area where the honey was kept. "You need to be very careful with the bees."

The girl nodded. "I will be," there was a small pause, "Granny," she finished.

Beatrixo smiled. "I know you will." After collecting the honey and other supplies, they headed back inside the house. "Go play with Grandpa while I get dinner ready."

The girl nodded and ran off to find her grandfather, who wasn't really her grandfather, but was like a grandfather to her. Her grandmother wasn't her biological grandmother either. She had no parents and the closest person she had to a father had abandoned her.

"Are you alright?" Jim asked, seeing her sad expression.

The girl smiled, "I'm okay, grandpa." She shouldn't be thinking about the past. Atomic Betty had found her and saved her. She had a family now that cared about her.

She was floating endlessly in space protected, by a force field she generated around herself. She was defective, or so she had been told. She was created from a DNA sample of her good sister Atomic Betty and brought to this world by Maximus IQ, using cloning machine. Her three evil sisters each possessed a special power that came from the combination of Atomic Betty's DNA with the DNA of Optica the fire witch, Destructa the stone princess and Roxanne the rubber woman. The forth Betty clone's DNA was not mixed with the DNA of anyone else. Her DNA was instead modified by the machine to give her special powers.

The problem was that she couldn't control her powers. Every time she tried to use her force field power she became helplessly trapped inside it. She also had the power to become invisible, but it failed at any given moment and sometimes she would turn transparent like a glass statue instead of completely invisible. She was the forth clone with two powers instead of one. She was to be the most powerful of the Betty clones, but she wasn't.

Optica, Destructa and Roxanne were very powerful and Maximus couldn't have obtained their DNA by force. He had made a deal with them. The girls would live with him, fighting for him as his most powerful minions. After their use was done, he would send them to Splatty to become the apprentices of Optica, Destructa and Roxanne, but the forth clone was to be kept as Maximus' new sidekick.

She remembered when she first opened her eyes. She was awakened with the body of a twelve year old, even if her real age was only a few minutes. She had basic knowledge of the world around her, but didn't know not too much, that information was modified to Maximus' advantage. "Daddy?"

"Yes, come my daughter Betty Four and show me your special powers," Maximus spoke.

The forth clone's short life went downhill from there; Maximus realized that she couldn't control her powers. Her special abilities without control were a weakness instead of a strength. She remembered so clearly that moment when she stood in front of that door that led outside. Even if it was open into space, the advanced technology of the lair made the door feel like any open door in a day with no wind on the surface of a calm planet. Her 'father' had told her to walk towards that door and look. He stood behind her instructing her three sisters so stay back with uncle Minimus and not get too close to the door, but she was allowed to come close to it. She was allowed to look into the endless dark beauty of space with its millions of shining stars. So much darkness and light, it was an impressive view.

"Take a good look girl, that emptiness will be your end," Maximus informed her.

She didn't understand. Why was he calling her 'girl' in such a tone instead of Betty Four, or daughter, or something nicer? Wasn't he showing her this beautiful wonder to make her feel better about not being able to control her powers as well as her sisters? "Daddy?"

"Shut up! Don't you dare call me that!" Maximus hissed angrily. She looked scared. Her big green eyes held the fear of a confused innocent child. That look in her eyes was familiar to him somehow. He didn't know why, but he didn't like it. "You're defective, you don't belong here. You're inferior to your sisters and shouldn't be in my presence." Then he threw her out into space and watched as she floated away. He didn't know that she survived.

Planet 24: Someone to Protect

It was quite late when he returned home, or very early depending on how you looked at it. The clock on the wall read 4:31 and the sun had not yet woken up that day. Regardless of the sleepless night and the long busy day that waited, he was victorious. He might have not escaped without a scratch, but he had escaped and he had the blueprints he needed.

He fell into the couch exhausted and fought to stay awake and open up the blueprints. His eyes demanded rest but he forced them to read the numbers, notes and symbols, analyzing his findings. Then he noticed the kitten sitting on the couch holding his plushie. He picked up the boy but before he could take two steps in the direction to his room, the child woke up.

"Otousan," the boy was still half asleep.

"Go to back to sleep, it's late or too early," his father spoke.

"Let me stay here with you. You were gone all day. I won't bother you." That sad kitten look could convince anyone, even a villain.

Or maybe he didn't feel like arguing with his son and risk having the boy wake up completely and turn back into his usual energetic hyper self. "Alright, but you have to be quiet, I need to concentrate." He placed the boy back on the couch and sat down next to him once again, turning his attention to the blue prints. He picked up a pencil from the coffee table and scribbled notes and calculations, accompanied by lines over the drawings. He would take this technology and make it his own and he would improve it far beyond what the Galactic Guardians could ever accomplish.

By the time the improvements on the blueprints were finished the pencil lines over the original ink ones changed the shape of the technological device almost completely. It would work better that way; he didn't know why who ever came up with the idea didn't think of those changes. Maybe it was the lack of a villainous purpose.

He glanced at his son, who had kept his promise to be quiet, probably because he was sleeping again. The clock now indicated that it was 5:47. He knew the kitten wouldn't last too long awake. He picked him up, more carefully this time so he wouldn't wake up, and took him to his room. He placed the boy on his bed and quietly left.

He returned to the living room and picked up the blueprints. There was no time for sleep; he would start working on the new device right away.

For a moment he paused remembering his escape earlier. The guardians clearly didn't think he could pull it off, but he did. For a moment he too doubted he could do it, his logic told him he would be inevitably cornered and captured by the Galactic Guardians, yet that didn't happen. Even if the rational part of his brain told him the escape wouldn't work, he somehow knew he would get away. He wondered why then he remembered the kitten who was waiting for his return. He felt sad that he couldn't save the boy's mother, but at least he didn't lose them both. Then he realized that was the reason he would always be able to escape from the Galactic Guardians, at least while the child was still a kitten.

Planet 25: Second Chance (BettyxSparky)

Atomic Betty's Point of View

What if there was someone that cared about you and whom you cared for too? What if the things that made you break up in the first place, were things left in the past? Maybe we were too young, maybe we weren't ready, but it's different now.

This was supposed to be a rehearsal kiss for the scene in which my character discovers that Sparky's character somehow survived at the end of the first movie. But it doesn't feel fake at all. It's real, we both know it.

We break the kiss for just a few seconds and look into each other's eyes before kissing again. It's like we're the only ones in the universe, just Sparky and me.

The sounds of the studio fade away as we enjoy the moment and I can no longer hear X-5 chasing after a crazy short circuited X-8.5. I can't even hear Maximus going on and on about how he's the best actor and demanding to have a bigger part.

I'm not sure how many times the director tried to get our attention before giving up. In fact, I don't know if he really gave up or if he's still trying to get us to listen to him, but either way we don't hear him. It's just the two of us.

Granny once told me that when you find your true love, and you are ready to find and be found, it feels like the universe stops and you go off into another dimension. A place were only two live, your true love and you. Eventually you return to the universe of reality, but it still feels like you're in that place. That's what I feel, and I know that's what he feels.

End Betty's POV

Planet 26: Little Meow

Maximus IQ, who had ended up in a magical accident that turned him into a kitten, jumped on Sparky's bed. Sparky didn't know how long the magic would keep him little and with no memories of ever being a super villain, but he hoped it lasted a long time. It was fun to have Maximus as his little brother who looked up to him and was so cute all the time. "Jump Sparky!"

"Okay, I'll go jump too," Spar hopped on his bed. "Hey this is fun, we should do this more often!"

Not too long after, Zulia came. "It's getting very late; shouldn't you two be asleep by now?"

"I can't sleep on an empty stomach. I need to have a snack before going to sleep." The jumping had made Sparky hungry or hungrier, since he was always hungry.

"I want a cookie!" Little Maximus was still jumping and looked like he had plenty of energy to continue jumping for a long time. That's exactly what happened. Even after they had the snacks and Sparky was feeling tired, Maximus wouldn't stop jumping on his bed, which made it impossible for Sparky to sleep since they had to share the room for the time being. "Jump Sparky!"

"I'm tired and sleepy. Let's go to sleep and jump some more tomorrow, okay?" Sparky asked.

But the kitten was too sugar high hyper to stop. "Jump Sparky! Jump! It's fun!" After another two hours of jumping none stop little Maximus finally decided it was time to go to sleep.

Everything was fine and Sparky was finally sleeping, until a little hand with sharp little claws fell on his face. "Ouch! My nose!" He removed the hand and saw that his little brother was still sleeping so he tried to go back to sleep also. A few kicks later, Sparky finally fell asleep.

"Mew, meow, mew," Maximus meowed in his sleep. He looked like he was having a nightmare.

"Maximus?" Sparky wake up. "What's wrong little brother? C'mon wake up," Maximus woke up suddenly and scratched Sparky. "Ouch!"

"I'm sowy" Max said, with those big scared kitten eyes.

"It's okay, your big brother's alight." That was what Sparky said, but he knew his nose would be a lot bigger in the morning. Hopefully he would still be able to see where he's going. "Were you having a nightmare?"

The kitten nodded sadly as if the nightmare was still too clear in his mind. "It was scary."

"Aw," Sparky hugged his little brother. He wished that he could stay little forever and never return to being a super villain, but he had a feeling that somehow he would end up growing up again. "What was your nightmare about?"

"Water, water is scary," the kitten replied.

"Don't worry I won't let water get you," Sparky assured.

"Thankies Sparky, you're the bestest big brother!" Maximus cheered. Everything was quiet for the rest of the night and they finally got some sleep without interruptions.

Planet 27: Evil Laugh

Maximus IQ had called his sidekick repeatedly to discuss the next plan to destroy Atomic Betty and take over the universe, yet Minimus did not come. He took a deep breath and screamed. "Minimus!" His voice was heard all over the lair and Minimus finally came running.

"Sorry for the delay your evilness I was... I was..." He smiled and Maximus gave him a puzzled look. Minimus' smile grew wider until he started laughing. Both his faces were laughing as he rolled on the floor.

A few minutes passed as Maximus tapped his foot impatiently. "Are you done now?"

Minimus stopped laughing and nodded.

"Then tell me what is so funny?" Maximus asked.

Minimus made a face as if trying to hold more laughter.

"Tell me!" Maximus insisted.

Minimus opened his mouth to speak but exploded in laughter again.

Needless to say Maximus was getting very annoyed. "Stop that!" He kicked the sidekick. "Stop laughing! You will not laugh unless I know what the joke is and you will laugh less than me!" Maximus then hit Minimus on the head many times until he stopped laughing. "Now tell me what's so funny?"

"It's nothing," Minimus finally said.

"Oh no, you're not getting away with that! You were laughing because of something and I want to know what it was right now!" Maximus yelled, leaving Minimus's ears ringing.

"I was taking that stuff you told me to take to the basement and found an old video of you. Remember when you were starting out as a super villain and made a press conference to announce that you were going to take over the universe? You told me to stand in the background and be quiet while you talked to the press and then..." Minimus smiled in amusement; despite all the hits he received he still had the energy to laugh.

Maximus paled, "I thought I destroyed all the copies of that!"

"It was your first universal TV appearance as a super villain so why not keep it?" Minimus suggested. "Look at the bright side, your evil laugh has improved," his more mischievous-looking face added in amusement.

Maximus's face turned red, as the embarrassment from that day returned. The scene replayed in his mind. There was a younger Maximus just starting his teens, but he still looked like a kitten and he sounded like one too, which was what caused that disaster.

Maximus remembered his younger self speaking to the press. "I shall take over the universe!" Then he tried his evil laugh for the first time but it came out as a giggle that ended in a squeak.

"I don't think father ever forgave me for squeaking on universal TV," Maximus mused.

"Then everyone went aw!" Minimus received a deadly glare, followed by a hit on the head from Maximus.

"I shall destroy the last copy of the press conference and we will never speak of this again!" Just to make sure his evil laugh was working correctly, Maximus laughed. To his relief there were no squeaks this time.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile at the Galactic Guardians Headquarters, Admiral Degill was talking to Atomic Betty and her team. "I didn't call you here for a mission, there' something I wanted to share with you. Besides, this is too funny to be kept in the databases and not show it to anyone. Maximus was thirteen in this recording."

A hologram was activated showing a kitten that looked cute and not one bit evil. After declaring he was going to take over the universe the kitten attempted to laugh evilly but it came out as a giggle ending with a squeak. Everyone in Admiral Degill's office nearly laughed their heads off.

For the next few months Atomic Betty, Sparky and X-5 couldn't hear Maximus laughing without remembering his first evil laugh. The super villain never figured out what could possibly be so funny if his evil laugh was coming out perfect.

Planet 28: Yang and Ying

Betty's Point of View

Kanushu-sensei used to say that there in a little bit of Ying and a little bit of Yang in everything, even in the rain. "There is good, there is evil. There is chaos, there is balance. There is Yang, there is Ying and we all live in between."

"There is good..."

It started raining just a few minutes ago; I like the sound that the rain makes. I wonder if it's raining in Sparky's planet. He and X-5 must be there right now, having an afternoon snack prepared by Zulia, Sparky's mahmoola.

I wish I could have gone, but my parents insisted that I stay home since it's dad's day off. I guess I could visit Sparky some other time; it's good to get to spend some time with dad every now and then. Sparky likes the rain too, but X-5 doesn't. It's understandable.

"There is evil..."

Purrsey hates the rain; he won't even come near the window when it's raining. There goes mom to cuddle Purrsey and feed him cat treats until the rain stops, telling him not to be afraid, because mommy's there for him.

I bet Maximus hates the rain too. Maybe that's why he has his lair in space instead of just taking over a planet or something. I can almost imagine him cowering in a corner yelling at Minimus to turn off the rain. Then Minimus would inform him that it's impossible and Maximus would hit him on the head over and over until it stops raining. Of course there's no joke if it's a planet where it is possible to turn off the rain.

"There is chaos..."

Last weekend I agreed to go on a picnic with my friends, two of them, at the same time, in different locations, by accident. I was busy thinking about my duties as a Galactic Guardian and didn't realize I agreed to meet both Dylan and Noah in different parts of the park at the same time.

Luckily it rained and they both got colds. Don't get me wrong, I don't want them to be sick, but at least I was saved from running back and forth like that time I watched only part of two different movies because I kept switching rooms.

I almost ran out of excuses that time. How many reasons can one have to leave the movie, then come back and leave fifteen minutes later? They're better from their colds now and I'll have to be more careful. Not just that, but sometimes it gets complicated to handle school and being a Galactic Guardian at the same time.

"There is balance..."

I'll be optimistic and keep doing what I like. Granny is very supportive and gives me great advice. I always talk to her when I need to let everything out to someone who lived what I'm living.

One thing that sometimes surprises me is that when I talk about something that's happening on Earth, X-5 always has statistics about it and Sparky always relates to the situation. I guess we're more alike than we're different.

I saw Kanushu-sensei the other day. He taught me a nice relaxing exercise, it works well. It's good to know I have trusted friends I can count on. In the middle of the chaos, they bring me balance.

"There is Yang, there is Ying..."

Kanushu-sensei once said that nothing is completely good or completely evil. Nothing in this world can be perfect. Someone should tell Penelope that, she seems to think she is perfect, but everyone else realizes she's not. I guess she's the only one who doesn't know.

There is always a bright side to every situation. Sometimes that bright side isn't the most obvious but its there if you look for it.

"And we all live in between..."

This universe we live in is filled with mystery and new things to discover. Good and evil, chaos and balance, Yang and Ying. It's all a part of it, we're all a part it, and that is what makes it complete.

End Betty's POV

Planet 29: Kiss

Betty's Point of View

He just stood there horrified, as if he saw a ghost. "Maximus?" He didn't answer, he just stared. I couldn't help it but to look back over my shoulder, only to make sure there wasn't a ghostly spirit, or a horrible monster, or a hungry dragon, or something just as alarming, standing behind me. There was nothing there.

We were having a battle in outer space. He was the one who started it. He saw the Starcruiser and started shooting lasers at us. Sparky tried to lose him, but we both ended up trapped in an asteroid rain. Both our ships crash landed on a large meteor.

Due to the situation, we agreed not to fight anymore for today. After all, none of us wants to end up stranded here. The interesting part about our situation is that we each have something the other needs. Fuel, tools, batteries, spare parts and so on. If we are to get off this meteor, we'll have to work together to get the ships repaired.

The repair process is long due to the severe damage both ships sustained from the asteroids and from each other. We've been taking turns during the repairs and right now Maximus and I are taking a break. Of course I keep an eye on him to avoid sabotage.

Ever since we started working, Maximus has been complaining. Usually when a child complains, giving him candy will keep him quiet for a while and I thought the same thing would work on Maximus. Besides, if we're going to get along until we get out of here, I might as well show him to be nice with the example.

"Did you hear me?" I asked when he continued to stand there silent. Well I'm glad he stopped complaining, but I'm starting to worry. Why is he standing there petrified? What did he see or hear or smell, that scared him so much.

He finally starts to regain some color in his pale face and takes a deep breath. "No!" He yells. What's his problem? Doesn't he like chocolate, everyone likes chocolate and all I did was offer him a kiss.

Minimus comes inside the ship and removes his helmet. "Your evilness, you're supposed to go outside and help with the repairs. Should I take your turn again like last time, or do you want to go out this time?"

"I think I will go," Maximus surprised us.

"Want another kiss Minimus?" I ask breaking, the awkward silence that formed after Maximus' unexpected decision.

"Oh yes!" Minimus cheers happily and I hand him some chocolate candy.

"You kissed?" Maximus, who was about to go outside comes back. "Bad sidekick!" He hit Minimus on the head. "How could you kiss her? She's the enemy and now you're full of Galactic Guardian germs!"

Suddenly it all makes sense. "There's a chocolate candy called kiss," I explain.

Maximus looks at me for a moment. "Really? So that's all you were asking? If I wanted candy?"

"Yes that's all I was asking." Another awkward silence forms.

Just as Sparky comes by to see why Minimus is taking so long, Maximus ends the silence. "In that case, give me a kiss Atomic Betty."

I'm about to hand him some chocolate when Sparky yells. "Don't do it chief!"

"It's okay Sparky there's plenty to go around," I assure him, giving Maximus the candy and reaching into the bag again. "Do you want some kisses too?"

Sparky's face turns bright red. "Well I... if you want to..." I give him some chocolate but he looks a bit disappointed. I'm not sure why, since Sparky loves food. Maybe he just wishes the kisses were bigger.

End Betty's POV

Planet 30: Why Do They Always Run?

He was a little frightened by her appetite when she started eating everything in the large picnic basket. In fact, she ate all the food and he had to send Minimus to bring another picnic basket. Luckily, he packed several. Always be prepared for emergencies, so said the little dating manual he read. 'That might be a little problem,' Maximus thought while watching Zulia eat, Bernadette would have a fit. Still, it was nothing that couldn't be dealt with.

After watching her eat for what felt like an eternity, it looked like Zulia was starting to slow down. Good because Maximus was running out of food. "Delicious," Zulia smiled. "Why aren't you eating? You must be hungry by now. Eat something, you need nutrients," she spoke this in a motherly tone of voice, but Maximus ignored that little detail. She took a sandwich from the basket and handed it to him not taking her eyes off him until he began to eat. Satisfied with the fact that he was finally eating, Zulia continued eating everything else.

Maximus was tempted to sarcastically say he didn't try to eat anything, because he thought she might bite him, but that wasn't a good idea. The little dating manual, which wasn't really very little, emphasized that he had to say nice things and if nothing nice to say came to mind, he should smile quietly and try to think of something.

Besides Maximus spent the last few days trying to convince him self that women don't bite and they don't have cooties. Even so, he couldn't help it but to wonder in the back of his head, what if they do have cooties? What are cooties anyway? Maybe he was better off not knowing.

Everything was silent save for Zulia's eating and Minimus carving something in a near by moon. Maximus tried to remember what the dating manual said to do next. He memorized many lines, but sometimes his mind went blank for a few minutes, until he managed to calm down, convince himself he wasn't going to die of cooties and remember the next line. A respectable villain needs a villainess by his side; he just had to remember that.

What was the next step? If only he could remember. Then she moved forward and closed her eyes. A kiss, that's what the manual said. He gulped and tried to kiss her, but only their noses touched. 'That might be a little problem,' Maximus thought once again, wishing that Minimus had match-made with someone of his own species or at least more similar.

She didn't appear to be bothered by it and only giggled. Species that were not her own didn't know how to act in such situations. 'Nothing that can't be solved in time,' she thought. They continued eating in silence after that. At least she liked the carvings on the near by moon.

However, Maximus was beginning to think he didn't study that dating manual well enough. It's like that feeling you get when you think you know what you're doing, until the teacher hands you the test, you read the first sentence and your mind goes blank. Then you realize you didn't study as well as you thought you did.

"Let me help you with that dear," Zulia cleaned the ketchup off Maximus's face with a napkin. "You suddenly remind me of my son for some reason."

"Your son?" Maximus asked. She had a son? She didn't say that before.

"Oh, yes I have a son. You should meet him, I'm sure the two of you will get along very well," Zulia proudly showed off the picture of Sparky, the Martian on Atomic Betty's Team.

'That is a big problem!' Maximus thought, and Minimus was in even bigger trouble. "I have to go now," He ran, Maximus got up, jumped in his space ship and flew away.

Minimus managed to get on just in time. Needless to say, the sidekick was confused; everything appeared to be going alright, so why did Maximus suddenly run away?

Maximus told Minimus about what he discovered later, just before he introduced him to the bachelorettes that would compete in one of those little dating shows with Minimus as the price.

xoxox xox xoxox

"Mahmoola!" Sparky called as the Starcruiser landed and he ran to hug his mother. "Are you alright, Mahmoola?"

"I'm fine Sparky, I was about to call a space cab, but I guess you could give me a ride back home," Zulia replied.

"I'm so happy you're okay, I thought Maximus kidnapped you!" Sparky looked around but didn't find the lynx villain. "Where did he go?"

"He ran away," Zulia sounded disappointed, but at the same time, resigned, having gotten use to this. "Why do they always run?" She wondered if he would ever be able to finish a date again being able to say that it ended well.

End of Solar System III

Disclaimer, I do not own Atomic Betty. Planet 22 is in memory of the original voice of Minimus. Otousan means father. Planet 27 was inspired by an episode of My Life as a Teenage Robot, where there's a little robot named Killgore that wants to be evil, but everyone thinks he's cute. Planet 30 is an alternate ending to the episode "Slime of the Century". 


	4. Part 4

Atomic Galaxy: Solar System IV

Planet 31: Rainy Day Man (BettyxRodger)

Atomic Betty was alone in that small moon, or so she thought. That moon of a far away planet had a proper atmosphere to breathe in, she had gone there once before on a mission, but didn't stay for too long. Due to the meteor belt near by and the constant rain, not many bothered to go there. This place held nothing special in most people's opinion, but right now one thing it had was priceless to her, privacy.

She knew no one would bother her here so she could sort out her thoughts by herself. She didn't have to look strong for anyone; she didn't have to hold back her tears to make sure no one worried about her. She didn't have to be Atomic Betty the number one Galactic Guardian, or Betty the talented and smart girl from Moose Jaw Heights. She could be herself as she was right now, a human girl who had her feelings hurt.

Unknown to her, someone was watching. He always watched from afar when ever he had the chance. "Atomic Betty?"

She turned, as she did not expect to find anyone here. "Rodger, what are you doing here?" In a split second she was calm and composed, as if she had been fine all along.

"It's a nice place to visit to be alone and think about... things." He slowly approached the little cliff where she was sitting, staring off into a horizon so different from the one of her home planet. The orange clouds gathered in the sky, it was going to rain soon.

"Yes," She didn't want to sound mean, but she wanted to be alone right now.

"You know, you can talk to me if it'll make you feel better," Rodger offered. "Betty, you don't have to keep up the act, I know you're only human and so am I."

The rain started to fall from the skies but neither really minded. She knew he was always there for her. It's been that way for a long time, even if they didn't talk too much, he was always there if she ever wanted to talk to him. He was like her rainy day man. "I know, thank you."

Planet 32: Friends for Never

"I'm a Galactic Guardian," she told him the truth he didn't know, even if she would think it was quite obvious. Maybe he was too focused on his goal to take over the universe to think that a Galactic Guardian could get pass his security.

"You're a what?" He asked in disbelief. It was years before the time of Atomic Betty and Maximus IQ. In this era, neither of them existed.

"It's true, but I'm sure we can work things out if you stop being evil." She had to tell him who she truly was, even if he changed his mind about everything he thought about her.

"You have five seconds to get off my ship before I personally disintegrate you!" He was clearly angry that she had kept that little detail to herself. Just when he thought he found someone to rule the universe with him after he finally took over, it turns out that she was the one that had been sabotaging his plans. She was the Galactic Guardian that some rumored had infiltrated his forces, it was her all along.

She hoped, yet didn't expect, that he stopped being a villain, but it didn't look like that was ever going to happen. "Can't we at least be friends?"

The deadly glare he directed at her was a clear negative. "Guards!" Of course she could easily fight a few guards. She was the best Galactic Guardian of her time and she got out of there without much trouble. Thus the unlikely friendship of Maximus Sr. and Beatrixo ended forever.

Planet 33: Fashionably Early

Sparky had no idea that Betty would be early, for once, and came into the house with the key he gave her. "Call me up; I'm your guy, the toughest punk in the alien sky. I got brains and the face..."

Speaking of faces, Sparky's face turned bright red when he almost ran into Betty, too distracted by his own singing to watch where he was going when he thought he was alone in the house.

Planet 34: Waiting

Pairings: Captain and Aberdeffia (before the ghost ship episode), Admiral Degill and Pontifadora. Noah, Betty and Dylan, (Earth triangle), Zulia and ? (not specified).

One may wonder what do a ghost captain, a gold fish admiral, two earthling boys and an alien woman have in common. They are all waiting. However, they each wait in a different way.

I wait for all eternity,  
Waiting for your return.  
Is it that there's an entity,  
That won't give what I yearn?

I refuse to leave this ship,  
I refuse this world to let go,  
Even if I'm losing my grip,  
I will always let my love show.

The ghost captain waits in his ship, refusing to leave the world of the living. He hopes and wishes that one day his love, Aberdeffia, will come back to him. His memories of her are fading, and so is the captain himself, but not his feelings.

He waits for her return all the time, there is no time for him, he just waits. He haunts the ghost ship calling her name; he doesn't lose hope in the hopeless situation.

He is the most patient of them all, the one that is willing to wait forever, the one who can wait forever. He is the patient one that has nothing more than Aberdeffia. It is her memory that keeps him going on, she is his everything.

It is hard to let go,  
Of the once held close.  
You go into denial,  
Every day becomes a trial.

Your hopes are well hidden,  
For this is forbidden,  
But still you think it may,  
Go back to the old way.

Keeping your place,  
Here in space,  
At the Galactic Guardian's base,  
Love hides without a trace.

There is a gold fish admiral named Degill who once had love and also lost it, just like the Captain. However he doesn't give in to a life of simply waiting, he searches for something to fill in the empty place. He has a career as the admiral of the Galactic Guardians and that is what helps him go on. He knows that there are many people of many planets counting on him and he will not let them down.

Deep down he waits for her to change her ways and return. He waits for her to stop bounty hunting so recklessly and come back as the one he once knew, the one he almost married. The captain and the admiral are different, yet the same. One waits patiently for all eternity and the other waits in denial with hidden hope. He knows what his duty is and he will not fail. Maybe she just needs a little time away, he thinks sometimes, then his waiting will be over. Then the Pontifadora Degill knew and loved, and still does, will finally return.

Waiting for the unknown,  
While she's out in her zone,  
Wishing she were here,  
Wishing to have her near.

But you'll never know,  
The secrets untold,  
A mission she holds,  
Her destiny unfolds.

You will never know,  
How much she lived,  
You would never believe,  
Why she had to leave.

While you're waiting in the dark,  
Even under Earth's bright sun,  
In a journey she embarks,  
While you wait in the park.

Two Earthling boys, they don't know what the one they wait for is doing. They don't know of her adventures in outer space. They don't know why they are waiting or why she is constantly late. They don't know why she is so distracted, thinking of something other than the here and now. They don't know she has another life beyond this one, but even so they wait.

They're not sure what they're waiting for. They wait for her to finally arrive, to learn to be on time, to come up with an excuse, to do anything to indicate why she truly left in the first place, but they never get a hint, not a single real clue.

They might never know why they wait, but they wait none the less. They know there's someone else who waits and they sometimes wonder who will wait the longest "Me or him?"

She will have to decide some day. They don't know if they're waiting to be chosen, or waiting to be set free when she chooses the other. Or maybe she will choose someone else entirely. Unlike the first two, they are still in the friendship stage. Sometimes, many times, they wonder if it's worth the wait, if she even cares, but they can't help it but to continue waiting.

He has no replacement,  
Not that she would try,  
She searches for a fragment,  
Hoping to someone find.

Does she wait or search,  
Maybe she does both?  
She does her research,  
If she'll find, she doesn't know.

There is one who waits and at the same time doesn't wait. Her name is Zulia. She waits for someone to come to her life, someone like the father of her son, Sparky. At the same time she doesn't wait, she searches.

Unlike the others she doesn't know who she's waiting for and maybe that is why she does more than just wait, she wants to know. But when she finds out, what will she do? I guess she'll have to wait and see.

Planet 35: I Don't Miss The Past

Betty's Point of View

For some time now I've known I'm different from everyone else around me. I am a Galactic Guardian and they don't even know there is life outside of Earth, but there's more to it than that. For some time now I've been feeling as if I don't fit in here, as if I don't belong here. Many times I've wondered if it was just a phase I would grow out of and then some day I would feel like I fit in, that day never came.

I want to get away,  
Some place far away,  
Need to start a new life.

I've given up trying to fit it. I'm not going to change who I am and live in a constant fake act all my life. The truth is I'm better off leaving. I already spoke to Admiral Degill about it and he consulted with the other authorities of the Galactic Guardians. They all agreed to give me permission so that I can tell my parents and closest friends about my secret.

Only the people who I trust the most will know. That way they can say goodbye and I won't just disappear from their lives without any explanation, I couldn't do that to mom and dad. Not that I'll be off in space all the time, I'll still come to Earth to visit my parents and friends. Anyone else who doesn't know the truth will be told that I'm away at college in another country.

Away from it all,  
I'm not looking back,  
Cause I don't miss the past.

During my last years of high school I've been wondering what I would do. Finally, I turned eighteen and right now I'm on summer vacation. My parents spoke of universities and the such when in fact I already have a career. I'll be not only working as an active Galactic Guardian, but I will also attend trainings, not only exercise, but there will also be academic trainings to learn more about the universe, other planet's cultures, space ships and many things that I could never learn on Earth. It'll be great, I'm sure I'll really like it and my parents will understand.

Leave it all behind,  
Look into the light,  
Running from the past,  
Dreams to realize.

The pressure of fitting in, the constant verbal assaults from Penelope and her friends, the strange looks that people give me for no apparent reason, I'm leaving all of that behind me. Now I'm going to be doing what I love all the time, I'll be a Galactic Guardian twenty-four seven like I've always dreamed of. I'll be able to go on more extended missions and spend more time in all kind of distant planets, meeting new people and learning new things. It will be a wonderful and interesting experience, I'll never get bored.

Away from it all,  
I'm not looking back,  
Cause I don't miss the past,  
I don't miss the past.

I'll still stay in contact with everyone so I won't be home sick, not that I've ever really felt that way. I feel more at home at my ship than in my room, except that my parents aren't there, but hey what are hologram communications for? With the new technologies it will feel as if we're standing right next to each other. Now I can be more open with them and tell them about my space adventures and all the interesting things that will happen.

Time to get away,  
Do it all my way,  
Gotta run away.

No more Penelope criticizing me. No more Dylan being my friend one second and forgetting me the other. No more Noah complaining about how I always ignore him. I really wish I hasn't messed things up with Dylan, but I guess he wasn't as patient as Noah with my constant disappearances and lateness. Then again, no matter how much patience one has, it will eventually run out. I'm sorry about that, but there's really nothing I can do about it. I can't stop being a Galactic Guardian; it's a part of who I am, a big part.

Away from it all,  
I'm not looking back,  
Away from it all,  
I'm not looking back.

My parents and I didn't often sit down to talk, but before the time came for me to leave, after I showed them the truth and introduced them to Sparky and X-5, they told me to always be myself and chase my dreams and happiness. I felt as if they understood me better in that moment than in my entire life. I felt closer to them then more than ever before. Noah knows I'm leaving too; he also met Sparky and X-5. I know that both Noah and my parents will keep my secret safe. Even Purrsey said his goodbyes in his own way and we actually got along well on those last few days on Earth.

Cause I don't miss the past,  
I don't miss the past,  
And it doesn't miss me.

The day of my departure I asked my parents to see me off with a smile instead of being sad, after all, I would still talk to them very often. I wasn't sure if Noah would come, but he did. There he stood smiling as if silently telling me he understood that it was time for me to go and that we're still friends.

Planet 36: Silence is as Sweet as Candy

"That is why I am so perfect! Any questions?" Maximus finished his speech in his super villain meeting. "No questions? Well of course there are no questions, my perfection is perfectly clear, no one could miss it. Now let's move on to the evil plans for this week. Who has done something evil lately?" There was a long silence and it wasn't because no one had done anything evil, it was because they were all sleeping. Maximus cleared his throat and screamed. "Who has done something evil lately?" The word lately was heard several times in a loud echo, following the sound that woke everyone there. Some of Maximus' real abilities were yelling, complaining and throwing temper tantrums. Other than that he was mostly ego.

Infantor yawned and raised his hand. "I did something evil! I drew on walls but Atomic Betty made me clean it. She made me erase my art. She's mean and I don't like her!" Then the alien baby threw a temper tantrum.

Maximus, who had no patience for temper tantrums, yet expected everyone to put with his, did something he did well, yell and order Minimus around. "Minimus make him shut up!"

"I'm not his babysitter," Minimus' angry face grumbled.

"Well I am certainly not his babysitter either, where is his robot nanny anyway?" Maximus inquired.

"Terminanny's at a repair shop because of a short circuit and you're supposed to keep me entertained until she comes to pick me up." Infantor stopped crying just long enough to say that, then continued the temper tantrum.

"Minimus, keep him quiet! I can't put up with this until that robot comes back!" Maximus yelled.

"But you're even louder," Minimus' angry face pointed out.

"What did you say?" Maximus yelled.

"Nothing, your evilness," Minimus' normal face replied. The sidekick ran to the temper tantrum throwing alien baby and tried to reason with him. "Don't cry Infantor, we all hate Atomic Betty and we'll destroy her soon so don't cry."

"I want to destroy her now!" Infantor cried.

"So do I, but I can't come up with a plan with all this noise!" Maximus was at the end of his patience, if he had any to begin with. Given the fact that everyone's ears were still ringing from when Maximus yelled to wake them up, listening to Infantor's complaints was nothing in comparison, so the other villains quietly watched in amusement. Occasionally a laugh would be heard before they all inevitably burst out laughing at Infantor's temper tantrum and Maximus's complaints. There was something about helpless forced babysitters that was so amusing.

xoxox xox xoxox

Speaking of people who are forced to baby-sit, on Earth, Betty was helping her mother baby-sit her new cousin. Purrsey was hiding after having his tail pulled by the baby and Betty wished she could hide too. She sighed as she tried to clean the mess the baby made while her mother tried to keep him calm, but the child wouldn't stop crying.

All the while Betty thought, 'I'll take babysitting Infantor over this kid any day. In fact I'd even baby-sit Maximus during one of his temper tantrums.' She looked at the crying baby in her mother's arms and gave that last thought a second thought. 'Nah, Maximus' temper tantrums are much worse than this. At least I know Minimus is more miserable than I am right now'. Betty could only hope that her aunt came back soon and took that little monster away.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, the lynx super villain looked like he was going to throw an all out temper tantrum of his own and those were dangerous. "All right that's enough, let's continue the meeting!" Iciclea tried to make her voice be heard over the noise. The ice queen was getting tired of this, it could only be amusing for so long.

"He won't shut up!" Maximus pointed at Infantor who curiously stared at his finger quietly for a moment. Maximus blinked and looked at Infantor just as the alien baby reached for the finger pointing at him. But before Infantor's little green hand could touch his finger, Maximus quickly moved his hand away and Infantor resumed his crying.

"Here have some ice candy," Iciclea created a little block of ice, about the size of her hand, and gave it to Infantor.

That successfully stopped Infator's crying, but Maximus looked upset. "What about me? I'm the leader here and I should get candy too!"

Iciclea rolled her eyes. "Don't you get it the ice candy is," she stopped and smiled. "It's very delicious, here you go." Iciclea formed another block of ice and gave it to Maximus, who tried to lick it and couldn't get his tongue off it.

Maximus tried pulling the so called ice candy off, but it wouldn't come off. Infantor was having the same problem, but he thought it was a game and wasn't bothered by it at all. Iciclea smiled, satisfied with her work. 'Silence is as sweet as candy,' she thought.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, to Betty's relief, her aunt arrived, "he wasn't any trouble right?"

"None alt all, he's a little angel," Betty's mother replied with an obviously fake smile. The mess all other the house strongly contradicted her.

"Thank you so much for taking care of him. We should get going now." Finally, the sweet silence would be restored.

Planet 37: Into the Sand (BettyxSparky)

"Which way do you think they went?" All the endless corridors of the ancient Pharaoh's ship, said to hold both treasures and power, looked the same to Sparky. This was one big space maze full of traps. How would they know where to find Maximus and Minimus?

"I'm not sure, but we can only find out if we start searching. There's not much time, we can't let them take control of the ship!" Atomic Betty led her team deeper into the ship, but there was still no sign of Maximus or Minimus anywhere.

"I think we should try a systematic approach to this. We should be able to calculate our location by paying close attention to the ship's structure and analyzing it. We should also continue to head in the same direction instead of turning different ways. That way we'll make sure not to end up going in circles," X-5 suggested.

"Right," Atomic Betty agreed. "Which way do you think we should go X-5?"

"I believe we should go this way," the robot turned right and continued down a dark area of the ship.

"Why did you have to choose the creepy way?" Sparky complained.

"I did not choose the appearance of our path, I only suggested that we should go this way due to the ship's structure. We should watch out for traps they could be anywhere." As soon as X-5 gave the warning, Sparky stepped on a switch on the floor opening a trapdoor. Sparky and Betty fell in and the door closed itself automatically, leaving X-5 trapped in the upper level. "Captain! Sparky!" X-5 searched for the switch that Sparky stepped on, but the small button on the floor remained pressed down. Apparently it wouldn't be reset until the trap's procedure was done and that was not good.

"Chief, where are we?" Sparky asked. It was very dark and it felt like they landed on a large pile of sand.

"Don't panic, Sparky, we only fell. We just need to climb back up. Try to find an exit." Betty used her Galactic Guardian bracelet for a light.

There didn't appear to be another way out and the trapdoor that brought them there was closed. There were a few openings on the walls about three inches in diameter pouring sand into the room. "We have to get out of here!" Sparky grew more worried.

"Maybe X-5 can hear us," Betty called, "X-5!"

"Captain! This door won't open." They could hear the robot trying to force the trapdoor to open, but it was stuck.

"Step away from it X-5, I'm going to try a laser!" Betty aimed her bracelet's laser and tried to cut the trapdoor open.

"Captain, no!" X-5's warning came too late. Betty's laser bounced off the wall and back at her. She quickly jumped out of the way and the laser turned to smoke when it hit the alien sand. "Captain, Sparky, are you alright?" X-5 had tried to cut the trapdoor open with a laser from the other side before and it bounced off.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, Maximus and Minimus were exploring the ship. Maximus had already accidentally triggered a few traps and Minimus had to get him out of trouble. The laser X-5 used continued bouncing around the ship until it reached their location. However, after bouncing on the walls so much, it was a lot weaker so it wasn't really dangerous, but it could still sting. Maximus was looking at some writings on a wall when the laser entered the room, bounced off the ceiling and hit his tail. "Ah! My tail!" Maximus jumped and ran around in circles screaming. "Something bit me! It's on my tail! Get it off! Get it off!"

"But there's nothing on it, your evilness. It's just a little burn," Minimus replied. "Serves you right," his evil face added. Maximus hit Minimus on the head then started blowing at the end of his tail to make it cool down.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, Betty and Sparky were still trapped. X-5 had found a small plug that he could use to connect with the ship's computer and try to disable the trap to free them. But he didn't have a lot of time to hack into the system before the room was filled with sand and they were either suffocated or crushed.

"Chief," Sparky began.

"It's okay, Sparky. X-5 will get us out of here don't worry," Betty tried to reassure him. There was little room left, and if they didn't escape soon, the sand would create so much pressure they would be crushed by it.

"It's getting a little hard to breathe in here, or is it just me?" Sparky asked.

"It's because the oxygen can hardly come in by those pipes that pour in the sand and there's no other way for air to reach this room," Betty explained. "Our space helmets should give us oxygen until X-5 gets us out."

"Wait, there's something I need to tell you first, just in case." Sparky confessed. "I really like you and..." There was a light coming from the ceiling as the trap door was opened again and Sparky almost regretted X-5's timing.

Planet 38: A Villain's Christmas List

Maximus looked at the overly long sheet of paper he was holding, trying to decide what to write first. "Destruction of Atomic Betty," he wrote next to number one. He continued his list with the destruction of the Galactic Guardians and kept on listing things he wanted to destroy, invade or take over.

Minimus took a break from decorating the Christmas tree and walked over to Maximus to see what he was writing. "So much destruction, your evilness, I don't think Santa Claus will bring you any that."

"No one asked you!" Maximus added something else to the already long list, "new better sidekick."

"But your evilness, what about me?" Minimus half asked and half complained.

"I'll fire you as soon as I have a replacement." Maximus returned his attention to his long Christmas list.

Minimus quietly made his way back to the Christmas tree in the corner of the room. "I really don't think Santa Claus is going to bring you anything from that list."

Maximus tossed his list on the table and got up, walking around annoyed. "Well what am I supposed to ask for?" He walked to the glass window and looked into space. "Dear Santa Claus, I've been a really good super villain this year so I want universal peace!"

"That's it your evilness!" Minimus cheered. "That's what Christmas spirit is all about. I think you have a better chance of Santa Claus getting you that."

Maximus rolled his eyes, wondering how Minimus could have possibly missed the obvious sarcasm, or was he replying with some sarcasm of his own? The villain hit the sidekick over the head, just in case. "I'll write whatever I want!" Maximus sat down once again, to get to work on finishing his list.

Minimus held his spinning head still and curiously looked at the list again. This time he didn't comment on it right away. However Maximus noticed his sidekick looking at the list, stopped writing and glared daggers at him. "Don't you have a Christmas tree to decorate?" Minimus nodded. "Well go decorate it!" Maximus yelled impatiently.

"Can I make a list too?" Minimus asked, ignoring Maximus' order, at least temporarily.

"No," Maximus replied without giving it any thought.

"Can I add something to your list then?" Minimus inquired hopefully.

"No," Maximus sounded more annoyed this time.

"But it's Christmas and I," Minimus was silenced by a hit to the head.

"If you're done annoying me, go finish decorating the tree," Maximus ordered.

"It's just that I wanted to write something, then maybe I'll get something this year," Minimus' face switched to the angry one. "Besides, you never get any of the things you ask for." He changed back to his normal face, "because you're not supposed to ask for evil things, everyone knows that."

Maximus had been studying his list and completely ignoring Minimus. It was like an annoying sound he constantly heard and there came a time when he had heard it so much, he didn't notice it anymore. "No, no this is all wrong," Maximus shook his head.

Minimus blinked. Could it be? Was he actually going to try to ask for something good this year? "Your evilness?"

"This won't do, I'll have to start from the beginning and make a new list, a very different list," Maximus crumbed the large piece of paper and threw it in a trash can.

"No more destruction?" Minimus was still unsure about what was going on.

"It was wrong to ask Santa Claus to destroy Atomic Betty and the Galactic Guardians," Minimus stared at Maximus in disbelief. Did he actually just say that? "It was all wrong."

There was a pause until Minimus spoke to break the silence. "You're not going to ask for Atomic Betty's destruction?"

"No, Minimus, I won't," Maximus replied. He got another long sheet of paper, picked up his pen and began to write his list again from the beginning. "I should have never asked Santa Claus to destroy Atomic Betty for me, instead I will ask for..."

Minimus interrupted, "universal peace? Toys? Candy? To be friends with Atomic Betty and the Galactic Guardians?"

Maximus looked at him strangely, wondering were Minimus got such ideas. "I'm going to ask for large weapons of mass destruction so I can destroy Atomic Betty and the Galactic Guardians myself!" Maximus laughed evilly. "I shouldn't have asked Santa to do it; he's too busy during Christmas. Besides, I want to destroy them myself; it'll be more fun that way!" After doing his classic evil laugh once more, Maximus resumed his writing.

Minimus just stood there for a moment, before finally saying, "for a minute there, I thought you turned good."

Maximus dropped his pen, visibly offended by the statement. "How dare you!" He hit Minimus on the head as if he had spoken the biggest insult in the universe. "Go decorate that tree and don't put the star on it, I want to put the star on it!"

Minimus dizzily made his way back to the Christmas tree in the corner of the room and continued putting up decorations while Maximus continued writing his list. The two faced portable underling wondered why the feline super villain even bothered with the list anyway, none of the things listed would be found the next morning under the Christmas tree. None of the weapons he wanted could even fit under the tree, not that he would get any even if they did. Minimus shrugged, deciding not to give the matter any more thought and continued putting up decorations, everything except the star.

Planet 39: X-5 Has a Virus

A virus, X-5 has,  
Take care of him I most,  
Only a robot he is not,  
More than that, he is a friend.

I shall not let his life end,  
Cure him of malware I shall,  
Because my friend shall not fall.

Everyone gets sick at times,  
Today I must make it right,  
Today he must win the fight,  
You can X-5, if you try.

"For the millionth time Sparky I'm a robot, I don't eat soup!" X-5 repeated as he scanned his systems, trying to find the nasty virus that had been giving him all sorts of strange glitches.

"It was all my fault!" Sparky cried, adding a waterfall of tears into the soup bowl. "Now you don't even trust my cooking and I worked so hard to make this slog worm soup for you!"

"Although your actions were quite foolish, as I've said before I already forgave you for that. I just need to scan my systems until I can eliminate the virus." X-5 regretted he had informing Sparky of the virus in the first place, but it was kind of hard to hide. Suddenly the robot's head started spinning around until it fell off. X-5 picked it up and secured it in place, but as soon as he did, his arms started spinning and he had no control over them.

"This is more serious than I thought. Maybe you need more than slog worm soup to be cured, but what?" Sparky wondered.

xoxox xox xoxox

On planet Earth, Betty was forced to help her mother take care of Purrsey who was sick. Ever since they came back from the veterinarian's office, after Sir Purrsefus was diagnosed with a kitty cold, she had been babying him even more so than usual. Betty's mom had even taken to wearing a doctor outfit with the white coat and a stethoscope around her neck. Betty was forced to get dressed as a nurse including, the little hat.

"Are you comfortable Purrsey?" Betty's mother made sure Purrsey's pillow, which was actually Betty's pillow, was extra fluffy.

Betty glared at the feline who was sleeping on her bed. He kept meowing in a whinny complaining tone when he was placed on the couch and wouldn't be quiet until he was allowed to stay on her bed. Betty's mother assumed she wouldn't mind sleeping on the couch for a few days, for her little brother's sake. Just when she thought she couldn't take much more of watching this, her bracelet chimed.

"Quiet in the patient's room!" Her mother eyed Betty's bracelet.

"I'll go fix it," Betty rushed out of her room and answered the call after getting away. "Sparky?" She saw the hologram, which was not of Admiral Degill as she expected.

"Chief I need your help, X-5 is sick!" Sparky continued his crying, making the rest of the narration impossible to understand.

"Calm down Sparky, I'm on my way!"

xoxox xox xoxox

After being beamed up to the ship, Betty discovered Sparky insisting that X-5 ate some slog worm soup. "Here comes the space ship! Aw c'mon X-5, you have to eat. It's just like mahmoola's soup; it'll make you feel better!"

"Sparky, I don't think robots need soup," Betty took the bowl from Sparky before he spilled its contents.

"X-5 doesn't trust me anymore, but I said I was sorry," more overly dramatic Martian crying came.

Betty tried to comfort Sparky, but his words were impossible to understand while he was crying, so she asked X-5. "What happened?"

"Sparky received a request for an online game on planet Arcadia's official website. Everything was alright until 'Supreme Emperor' offered to send him a download of a better version of the game. He had too little space left in the Starcruiser's harddrive because he keeps downloading games, so he asked me to save it until he deleted a few things to make room for it," X-5 explained.

"But Supreme Emperor is Maximus IQ!" Betty exclaimed.

"Really?" Sparky had no idea he had been playing an online game with a villain.

"How do you know Captain?" X-5 started spinning around randomly due to the glitches.

"I've been going online to chat lately. Earth's Internet is connected to the Universal Network. They've been connected for a while, but earthlings don't know, they think everything online originated from Earth. I should have known some of the things found online were from other planets. People assume it's a joke and play along when someone in a chat says they're an alien, but it could be true. I've been visiting Arcadia's site lately, everyone goes there," Betty explained.

"I'm 'Caramel Eater' there, what's your user name, chief?" Sparky and Betty tried to hold X-5 still before he wrecked the ship.

"I'm 'Galactic Girl'. I would advise that you block the villains from that site and be very careful not to identify yourself. Iciclea is 'Frozen Beauty', Nuclea is '3n3rgy', Infantor is 'Bratty Baby', Chef Bernadette is 'Yummy Cooking', Chameleon is 'Shape Shifter', Minimus is 'Two Face' and Maximus is 'Supreme Emperor'." Betty revealed.

"Got it!" X-5 stopped spinning at the same time that he managed to delete the virus.

"Are you all better now?" Sparky asked.

"All system are working one hundred percent," X-5 confirmed.

"Great, in that case, lets celebrate by playing some online games!" Sparky cheered. "But first let me delete the villains from my friends list."

Planet 40: Unbelievably Cute

Maximus IQ walked by for the millionth time, turned when he reached a wall and walked by again. He looked at his guest at the lair then continued his walking. His plan was, according to him, perfect, but then again, he said the same thing about all his other plans which failed.

"What should we do your evilness?" Minimus glanced at the guest.

"I'm thinking," Maximus wanted to go with his original plan, but somehow he just couldn't. "Let's return him." He walked toward the guest and stopped to suppress the urge to say 'aw' then continued.

"But your evilness, what about your plans?" Minimus was surprised that Maximus would give up his plans so easily.

"I'll think of something else," Maximus picked up the little guest. The two year old kitten woke up and meowed sleepily.

"Did he just meow?" Minimus asked.

"No he didn't!" Maximus replied a little too loudly. Meowing was something his species had evolved out of doing generations ago and he never wanted to admit he use to do it as a child.

"Hi," they both looked at the kitten.

"I better return him now," Maximus concluded. "It's okay I'm just taking you back home, you can go back to sleep."

The confused kitten nodded and Maximus placed him in a strange machine. "Bye," then he was gone.

"So much for that plan" Maximus grimaced. Time travel technology had been banned due to the dangers it represented. However, before the last time travel devise was destroyed, Maximus managed to steal it. The machine could be aimed at any thing or person in the past or future and bring them to the present, or send a person or thing from the present to the past or future. It only had enough energy left to do this twice.

Maximus' plan was to bring his past self to the present and start his super villain training earlier. Then return his past self to the past and the result would be being more evil in the present. The only problem was that he went too far back into the past and he brought a two year old to the present. He didn't start taking interest in being a super villain until he was four or five, but that wasn't the problem.

It was never too early to be a super villain as Infantor had proven; the problem was that the small kitten was too cute. He no longer felt like training the kitten, just letting him continue napping and maybe play with him later. Clearly he had to send him back.

"How come we can't keep him," Minimus' question was too late, since the kitten had already been returned to his home on Splatty, years into the past.

"That's impossible; it'll mess up history I can't be in two places at once. Besides, the reason I'm still here is because he was returned, but I'm still the same," Maximus replied.

"I think you're still very evil, you can be more evil without cheating," Minimus commented.

"I know... I kind of miss him," Maximus admitted, it was either kind of sweet, or incredibly narcissistic.

"Me too," Minimus actually agreed.

"What's next on the agenda?" Maximus asked.

Minimus read from a holographic agenda. "Next your past self training plan."

"That will no longer be needed; my past self is already back in the past. You can delete that entry, what's next?" Maximus inquired.

Minimus deleted the entry and read the next. "Help father escape from the Galactic Guardians and prove that you're as evil as he wants you to be."

"Forget that," Maximus wasn't in the mood to deal with his father. "Seeing my past self reminded me that he didn't play with me when I was little. Who would ignore such cute little boy?"

"Only a truly evil super villain," Minimus angry face answered.

Maximus hit him on the head. "Are you saying I'm not truly evil?"

"Of course you are, your evilness," Minimus normal face replied. "It's just that your father's more evil," his angry face added.

"What does the next entry say?" Maximus decided to change the subject.

"Find out what is Atomic Betty's secret home planet and destroy it," Minimus read.

"Okay, that sounds like a good way to spend the rest of the day," Maximus decided.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile on Earth, Canada, Moose Jaw Heights. "Look Betty!" Her mother pointed at a large portrait when Betty returned from school. "Isn't it adorable? I gave an artist a picture of Purrsey as a kitten and he painted this!"

Great, another picture of Purrsey, as if there weren't enough already. There were more pictures of Sir Purrsefus in the house than of Betty, her mother and father put together. What was her mother trying to do, wallpaper the house in Purrsey pictures? Even so, when Betty looked at the picture she couldn't help it but to think it was cute. This was Purrsey, that cat that did everything he could to bother her, but the picture was so cute, too cute. "It's a cute portrait."

"I knew you would think so!" Her mother cheered. "I'm so happy you approve."

"Approve of what?" Betty feared the worse.

"Of my idea to have some Purrsey wallpapers made and wallpaper the entire house in pictures of your adorable little brother!" Betty's fears came true.

Betty stood there for a moment hoping it was only a nightmare that she would wake up from. But before she could say a single word of complaint, her bracelet chimed and she had to go on a mission to recover a time travel devise Maximus had stolen. Hopefully when she returned, she would be able to convince her mother not to wallpaper the house with Purrsey pictures.

End of Solar System IV

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty or the Sailor Moon song Rainy Day Man. Special thanks to Barry for the ideas for Planets 32 and 33. About Planet 35, the 'poem' is an original song I wrote, hence why some verses are repeated. Planet 35 takes place in the future but it was written during season 1 and does not include the events of season 3. I also wrote all the other poems that go with the stories. 


	5. Part 5

Atomic Galaxy: Solar System V

Planet 41: First Meeting

"Pay attention," Maximus Sr. repeated for what felt like the millionth time. His son appeared to be paying attention to everything except what he was supposed to be paying attention to. As he was about to blow up a planet along with all the life forms in it, a very familiar melody reached his ears. He turned around to find his son, Maximus IQ, playing a handheld videogame. "I told you to pay attention!" Max Sr. yelled, snatching the videogame from the younger lynx's hands. The words 'game over' appeared on the screen.

"You made me lose!" Maximus complained.

"You'll win next time your evilness," his sidekick, Minimus said.

"I told you to pay attention while I blow up this planet!" Max Sr. insisted.

"With what?" Maximus asked and the older super villain completely missed what he was trying to say.

Maximus Sr. tried to control his temper. Was he only wasting his breath explaining how his newest weapon worked? "I already told you. I'm not going to repeat it again so watch and learn." He was about to blow up the planet but just before he pressed the button to activate the weapon, he looked back to make sure his son was paying attention and he wasn't. "Maximus IQ, what could you possibly be looking at out the window that's more important than blowing up a planet?" He was at the end of his patience.

"Oh nothing, I was just watching how that Galactic Guardian ship got away with your new planetary destruction laser. I guess it wasn't too firmly attached to the ship after all," the younger Max was almost amused by it.

"What?" Maximus Sr. pushed him out of the way and saw the Galactic Warbler flying away with the weapon attached to the ship. "She won't get away with this!"

Maximus IQ took the distraction as a chance to leave. "Your evilness, I want to come too!" Minimus followed him to the ship's exit.

"Stay here and make sure father doesn't know I'm gone. I'll be back later." Maximus IQ put on his helmet so he could breathe in space and taking off in his spacebike. He headed towards a random planet.

"Maximus are you paying attention? This time I will destroy Beatrixo!" Maximus Sr. couldn't look to see if his son was paying attention or not, since he needed to concentrate in piloting the ship. Maximus IQ was going through a phase or so thought his father. It was the 'teenager who is too lazy to do anything evil' phase. He would grow out of it eventually and be a true evil villain, he better be.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile on Earth, "mommy loves Sir Purrsefus so much!" A blonde woman petted a cat plushie. Before the real Sir Purrsefus was born, she had a plushie with the same name. A red haired little girl walked toward her and extended her arms towards the toy cat. "No Betty, this is mommy's plushie, you have our own plushies to play with."

Giving up on obtaining the toy, little Betty tried to climb on the couch instead. Once she was up she could look out the window from there. She saw someone in a strange looking motorcycle with blue fire in the back, land on the backyard. Wait, that wasn't a person, it was a plushie. She looked at the toy her mother held. Yes that's what the person outside looked like. She hopped off the couch and ran to the back door. She jumped and reached the door knob turning it to open the door. Her mother didn't know she could do this.

'What a strange planet this is,' Maximus thought as he looked around. Then a strange creature hugged him.

"Plushie!" Little Betty cheered, she found a big plushie all by herself.

"Ah! What are you?" Maximus quickly stepped away.

Betty lost her balance and fell down. Her big green eyes looked a little watery until Maximus curiously picked her up. She appeared to cheer up then. "Plushie!"

"What a strange creature you are," Maximus observed the odd being. Her red hair was in a pair of uneven pigtails, as if someone who was not an expert on hair had cut it.

"My plushie," Betty smiled.

"I am most certainly not," Maximus placing her back on the ground. He looked at the skies, wondering if he should go back now. His father would be looking for him if he didn't return and Minimus couldn't cover for him for too long. Maximus jumped back on his spacebike and picked up his helmet.

"Plushie!" That strange red haired creature with big green eyes called after him. She didn't want him to leave.

Maximus looked back for just a moment. "I know what you are. You're of the same species as Beatrixo aren't you? Father wouldn't want you around. That's too bad, because you would make a pretty good pet. Oh well, maybe I'll see you again."

"Plushie!" Betty didn't say a lot yes, but she understood most things.

"Is that all you know how to say?" The teenage lynx asked.

"Mine!" She pointing at him.

"I guess you know more than one word after all. Goodbye strange funny creature." Maximus took off and heading back to his father's ship. He probably knew he was gone by now unless, he was still chasing Beatrixo's ship.

"Bye bye plushie," little Betty watched him disappear into the skies.

"Betty, there you are," her mother came looking for her. "I wonder how the door got opened?" She picked up her daughter and took her back inside the house.

Maximus never knew that the little girl from that time would be the Galactic Guardian ruining his plans years later...

Planet 42: Agreement

"Normal Minimus"  
'Angry Minimus'

'Remind me again why you forgave him for this and everything else he has done?'

"I forgave him because he is my best friend."

'Sure he is. He treats you like you're useless and hits you on the head more times than you can count.'

"He's my best friend and I have to be there to help him get rid of stress. If he couldn't let all that energy and frustration out of his system with my help, who knows what might happen to him."

'This is too much.'

"It's not his fault..."

'Then whose fault is it, yours? You always blame yourself! It's not our fault he's like that. You should leave; go somewhere you're appreciated.'

"That's my choice. You forget that even if appearances can be deceiving, I'm the stronger side of Minimus."

'At the same time you're a wimp, isn't it ironic?'

"The point is appearances can be deceiving."

'And right now you're not trying to get over your headache. No, that's not what you're doing; it's just what it appears to be, but appearances can be deceiving. So what are you doing then?'

"I'm preparing to continue helping my best friend."

'That's some best friend you have...'

"Maximus is my best friend."

'Care to tell me why; because he kicks you and bosses you around?'

"It's alright, I don't mind."

'You didn't answer my question.'

"If we are the same then you should know why Maximus is my best friend."

'Enlighten me.'

"Don't you remember when I was just a child and Maximus was the only one who ever played with us? The others thought we were creepy, but Maximus said my spinning head was funny."

'And he proceeded to hit you on the head over and over for his own amusement.'

"The point is that he wasn't too weirded out to play with me, even if his idea of a game was a little annoying..."

'That was a long time ago, he's meaner now.'

"But you remember don't you? You remember that it was me who asked to be his sidekick and he agreed. He was the first to see me as a friend rather than a freak."

'Friend? I would have to disagree. He didn't think of you as a friend and he never will, he thinks of you as a walking, talking, punching bag; nothing but a lab experiment, not a real person.'

"Don't forget we are one, we share our thoughts and I know you're remembering those times from long ago when Maximus wasn't as famous as a super villain. His career was just starting."

'I guess he was a little bit nicer then in comparison, but still mean.'

"Let's not look at the bad side, be optimistic!"

'I can't.'

"At least try. Don't think of the bad moments, think of the good moments, like when we decorated the Christmas tree."

'You did all the work and he got to put the star on it. He doesn't appreciate you.'

"Yes he does. He thanked me for decorating the tree."

'I've never heard Maximus say than you in my entire life. I don't think those words exist in his vocabulary.'

"You know what I mean. When he looked at the tree and smiled for just a second."

'I remember that. What's your point?'

"My point is that there's more than one way to show appreciation and friendship. He's my best friend and I'm his best friend too."

Approaching agreement...

'I don't think I should put up with this.'

"I will be okay."

'Can I be sure?'

"Of course I can. Maximus is my best friend."

'Best friend...'

"Best friend..."

We have come to terms...

End POV

Planet 43: Hypnotized

Maximus' Point of View

I hear the echo of a voice,  
A voice that was to make me rich,  
The echo is melodious,  
But it takes freedom out of reach.

I hear the echo of a voice, the voice of a hypnotized young girl that was going to make me rich. If the new Max Land hypnotism worked on her, then it would work on anyone. It had been a few years since the last version of Max Land was opened. Atomic Betty is still stubbornly stopping my plans, you'd think she'd find something else to pass the time with than interfering with my universal take over.

But now she's been hypnotized. I managed to separate her from her team long enough to hypnotize her, they never found out what happened to her and why she went missing. It's good to know that I finally got my plans to work out exactly as I wanted. The problem is that it worked too well.

My plans had finally worked,  
Exactly as I planned,  
Then I realized it worked,  
A little too exact.

I finally hypnotized her, turned her into my slave. This so called victory is bitter sweet. I'm getting tired of this. I'm getting tired of her going on like this every day. The way she acts, it's not her, it's someone else entirely, someone that I created for my on selfish purpose and now I regret it. She may not be out there stopping me from taking over the universe, but what good is that when I'm not trying to take over the universe.

I haven't blown up a planet since this started, I haven't had a laser fight in space with the Galactic Guardians, I haven't stolen something priceless, I've done nothing evil what so ever. She may not be out there to stop me, but she keeps me here all the time, so in a way she's still interfering with my original plans, in a very different way.

She sings her song to me,  
She lives under my curse,  
And a secret I keep,  
That I belong to her.

I can't take this any longer. Every fake smile she directs at me is torture. But I can't tell her to go away because I made her this way. If I yell at her, she just throws a temper tantrum and glomps me like a crazy fan girl saying she's not going to let me get away. This is all my fault, the hypnotism made her this way. Then if I am to breathe again, I have to assure her I'm not going to leave her, so she loosens her grip and I can get some oxygen into my crushed lungs.

Everything was fine before she started throwing those little temper tantrums, but I got tired of having her constantly following me around. It wasn't so bad at the beginning, but I need some space now.

So close I hear you breathe,  
You're living in a dream,  
That day I learned true fear,  
A nightmare I have here.

I can't take another day of this. I have to set her free, it's the only way I can have a little peace. Even hypnotized she can still defend herself and doesn't fall for traps. That is why destruction is not an option. I can only hope she doesn't remember anything that happened after the hypnotic reversal process is complete.

End Maximus POV

Minimus' Point of View

So it would appear,  
That he reached his goal,  
But now that she's near,  
He just wants to be alone.

It's been over a week since Atomic Betty was hypnotized in the new Max Land. She's always following him around, he found it amusing at first and said he might consider keeping the hypnotized Betty for a pet, but then he got tired of her constant presence.

She keeps singing all the time "buy Maximus; buy Maximus," it's getting old. She's a good singer, but she just keeps repeating the same thing over and over.

His evilness told me to sell all the Maximus merchandise to Atomic Betty. Then when she ran out of money, my mission was to offer to trade a special edition Maximus action figure for the location of her secret home planet.

He told me to sell,  
As much as she could buy,  
But she only wanted one thing,  
And the customer's always right.

But she only wanted to buy one thing. She was hypnotized literally and insisted on buying Maximus. I had no choice but to accept the silver colored coin she gave me with a picture of a head on one side and a bird on the other. It's the first time I saw a coin like this. Betty said the coin was from "another country" and she didn't give me anymore details, but it must be very rare and valuable, possibly worth billions.

She thinks he's a plushie,  
And glomps him as such,  
She says that he's fluffy,  
He finally had too much.

Betty thinks Maximus a plushie and hugs him like a plushie until he turns blue from lack of oxygen. He tries to get away, but she runs fast and has a strong grip, she won't stop following him around claiming that he belongs to her because she paid for him. The other day she threw a temper tantrum about her property trying to run away from her. I think he's afraid of her now, but he won't admit it. I can only hope the Destructionears get her back to normal soon.

End POV

Planet 44: Glass Ducks

Maximus IQ stared at the pile of broken glass. It was already late, but he kept coming back to that room to check on what was left of the glass ducks waiting for something, anything, to happen.

"Your evilness, do you have any evil sidekick things for me to do now?" Minimus PU asked from the door.

"Not right now," Maximus answered without taking his eyes off the glass duck pieces.

"In that case I'm going to sleep, okay boss?" It was late and Minimus was very tired.

"Fine," Maximus was still staring at the broken glass ducks. Minimus shook his head. Maximus must have really liked his collection. One side of him was sorry and the other thought it served him right. "Minimus..." He heard Maximus call just as he was about to leave.

"Yes, your evilness?" Minimus wondered just how much the events of the day had affected him. Atomic Betty ruined his plans as usual, but losing his collection of glass ducks, that must have been too much. He wondered why they were so special.

"Is there something that you used to believe as a child that never came true?" The question was unexpected coming from Maximus, the self proclaimed Evil Idol and a famous super villain, winner of many super villain competitions.

Minimus thought about it. "I believed comets could grant wishes, so I wished that someone would be my friend."

"And your wish never came true?" Maximus asked still staring at the broken glass.

"Actually it did," Minimus realized. "Maybe not exactly as I pictured it but it came true."

"My father once told me that the more glass ducks a super villain has, the more powerful he will become. He was always away and I didn't spend a lot of time with him, so I remembered that. They were my lucky glass ducks," Maximus admitted.

Flashback

"Do you have to go away tomorrow?" The small child had gotten out of bed and walked to the living room where his father sat reviewing some plans.

"I can't past up a chance like this!" The older lynx continued reviewing the plans. "Go to sleep, Maximus."

"Will you tell me a story before you leave?" The boy got comfortable and hugged a little purple plushie that looked like an alien cat with three legs and three eyes.

The boy would not leave until he got what he wanted. "Fine, once upon a time, there was a super villain whose annoying son went to sleep and let him finish his plans so he could also get some rest and be full of energy the next day when it was time to steal a large shipment of glass ducks. The more glass ducks a super villain has, the more powerful he will become. The super villain took over the universe and destroyed the Galactic Guardians, the end."

End Flashback

"I'll glue them back together," Minimus offered without even thinking about how hard the task would be.

"Just clean up this mess and throw the pieces away, I'll get some new ones." Maximus finally stopped staring at the broken glass. "It's about time I grew out of it anyway..."

"It's okay to believe in childhood wishes..." Minimus voiced.

"I know, but it's not something expected from a super villain," Maximus started walking out of the room. "This conversation never happened."

Maximus didn't know that the glass ducks his father wanted back then were not glass statues of ducks. What he planned to steal were some powerful weapons. GLASSDUCK was short for Gun of Large Assassination Super Storm of Destruction Ultimate Chaos Killer, but Maximus never found out.

Planet 45: Food Fight

Bernadette's Point of View

I am Chef Bernadette. I am considered to be by far the best chef in the known universe. It's not easy, trust me, it isn't. Sometimes the pressure is so much I can't take it. I fear losing my position as the best. A chef can be accepted while at the process of going up in ranks and even those who stay the same are not criticized too much. But a chef that goes down in ranks will continue to sink.

We're supposed to move up or not at all, but moving down means losing talent. I am confident most of the time, it's the image I need to project, but I would be lying if I said I never worry. That's why I'm organizing this buffet. I get to try out my recipes and people can tell me what they think.

This is very important to me; to try new things is the only way to continue improving. I also need to know what people think about it. I want to be able adjust my cooking style to anyone. Everyone must be pleased with what I cook, no matter how picky, annoying and bratty they are, like Maximus for example.

Maximus is one to complain about anything and everything. He's always saying that everything is not worthy of him. I sometimes think that some day he'll try to hold his breath until he turns blue and claim the oxygen isn't worthy of him. I wouldn't be too surprised if that did happen, it would be amusing. That's why I'm here, to have a challenge.

Sure working for a super villain isn't always the best thing when it comes to a chef's reputation, but no one will question that if I remain the undeniable best, and as much as I hate to admit it he has helped a lot in that. It's Maximus' constant complaints that make me continue to improve and it's so satisfying when he says he liked the food.

Maximus isn't one to give compliments. I don't expect him to say thanks, but if I get him to eat without complains, it's a big achievement. Then there is the very rare occasion when he actually says he liked the food, that's when I know a recipe's a real winner if it can actually get a sort of compliment out of him.

There was one time when I thought I couldn't put up with Maximus anymore. That time I quit and refused to return until I got an apology, which deep down I knew I wasn't going to get. But in the end I did return and with a better salary. Sure he has the most high tech lair in the universe and likes expensive things, but those who know him a little better, know he can be quite greedy and stingy. That means that even if he didn't say it directly, he thinks my food is worth it.

"What is that?" Maximus asks coming into the kitchen without knocking.

"You forgot to knock again," I remind him sounding annoyed.

"It's a kitchen, why would I knock? Furthermore it's the kitchen of my lair. What could you possibly be doing here that requires people to knock before coming in?" Obviously he doesn't understand.

"The atmosphere, the concentration, the delicate balance," I start to list the reasons why he should knock before entering the kitchen, but he only looks confused. "Never mind, are you here for a snack?"

"I'm not hungry right now." Maximus picks up a fork and pokes the meal I was preparing. The dish takes the fork away with one of its tentacles and Maximus quickly jumps behind me, hiding from the uncooked meal. "Why is that thing here? You know I don't like food that bites back. When I eat, I want to eat without the risk of being eaten!"

"It's not for you. The entire universe doesn't revolve around you." I take a few kitchen utensils to disarm the food. Always show your food who's boss.

"It should and it will when I become the supreme ruler of the universe," Maximus' big ego never changes.

"If you're not hungry, then why are you here?" I continue to work on the octopus dish, hitting it hard enough to knock out the creature, but not hard enough to kill it. It must be served alive or it's an insult. Maximus only stares in horror, as anyone else from the area of the universe where he was born in would do. They don't eat live things that like people from other planets do. "If it bothers you so much, then you should get out of the kitchen."

"But I'm thirsty!" Maximus complains. I look at the refrigerator, then at him, then the refrigerator again. Clearly he's not getting the hint. I guess that's a little too much to expect from Maximus, so I go get him something to drink myself. Once he has a drink that is, as he would say, worthy of him, he leaves the kitchen. Finally I can continue working on the food for the buffet.

Later...

The buffet went well. I got excellent reviews from all the critics I invited and surpassed what they expected. The good thing about this is that people can try my food and I can continue improving it. I always invite the critics at the end so by then the recipe is at its best.

The only trouble I had was with Atomic Betty's green little friend, Sparky. I told him he could sample the food, but he wanted to eat it all. Then a gang space bickers stopped by and started a food fight. Those trouble makers!

Fortunately, Atomic Betty and her robot friend arrived looking for Sparky and saved the buffet. It was still a close call, because I had to have everything clean and presentable for the critics, but Sparky ate all the food from the fight that was all over the place and left it spotless. Then Atomic Betty took him back to their ship to prevent him from eating the freshly cooked food I made for the critics.

End POV

Planet 46: Desire

He looked at her with pleading eyes, but he spoke no words. They had been sitting in silence for far longer than he had ever sat with his mouth closed. They had been assigned to be part of the security of a royal ship. This time they didn't have the Starcruiser on the mission. This time they were on the ship that they were to protect.

Space pirates were a very common thing these days. They surrounded the ships, forced their entry and stole anything they could get. If they were to get inside, it was Atomic Betty's job to give them a taste of her light saber and protect everyone and everything on that ship. Other than that, there were a few Galactic Guardian ships in the surrounding area to keep any pirates from getting inside in the first place. Even so, King Rturmex felt a lot safer with Atomic Betty and her crew on board.

Sparky continued to stare at her while X-5 tried to get his attention. The green big nosed alien looked like he was in another dimension staring at Atomic Betty. Her only reaction was to smile with mild amusement.

X-5 tapped Sparky on the shoulder, finally getting his attention. The robot then moved his hand over his mouth as if telling Sparky he had something there. The green alien noticed that he was drooling and hoped Betty didn't see it. After he had cleaned his face, Sparky resumed his staring.

Betty randomly cleared her throat, she was starting to feel a little uncomfortable with the silence. That look in Sparky's face was so hungry. If he wanted food, why didn't he just say so? Maybe he had sudden burst of shyness and didn't dare to speak of his need to eat. "Should we have a snack now?" Betty finally asked.

Sparky smiled at the mention of food and nodded his head so quickly you'd think it was going to fall off. "Yes!"

Betty reached for the bag of cookies that were sitting beside her the entire time, which had fascinated Sparky.

Planet 47: Video Phone

"With this control, I shall activate the time bomb that will detonate in exactly ten minutes and destroy a planet full of innocent people and you can't stop me!" Maximus did his classic evil laugh and thought Minimus ended the call transmitting the message to Atomic Betty's ship after he stopped laughing. "That went well," he was satisfied with the message.

"But your evilness, that's not a time bomb control, there is no planetary destruction time bomb, you never even finished the blueprints," Minimus reminded.

Maximus hit his sidekick again. "I know that, but Atomic Betty doesn't. She'll never find that planet that has the bomb and will be all worried over nothing."

"What if a random planet blows up for no reason? Then you'll get blamed for it," Minimus pointed out.

"That's not going to happen and if it does, I don't mind taking the credit," Maximus replied.

xoxox xox xoxox

Atomic Betty set the communication to receive only, so that Maximus wouldn't hear them or see them on the screen and notice the call link was still open.

"Did you hear that chief? He tried to trick us!" Sparky pouted.

"We should watch and see if we can learn something about his real future plans," Betty suggested.

On the screen, Maximus used the control and the toy it really belonged to was activated. A little white robot mouse, slightly different from Earth mice, started running around the floor of the ship. A little black fur ball followed the toy. "I believe that specimen is of the same species as Purrsey from Earth but in a different color." X-5 pointed at the black kitten on the screen.

"I wonder how did Maximus get him?" Sparky asked.

"I gave that kitten to him," Betty admitted receiving odd looks from X-5 and Sparky. "The kitten needed a home and I thought it would be okay since Maximus liked Purrsey so much."

"They appear to be getting along well," X-5 admitted.

"The strangest part isn't the chief giving Maximus a gift, but Maximus actually accepting it," Sparky was confused.

"Actually, I was wearing a disguise. I looked like a regular Martian girl," Betty explained.

"Cool!" Sparky was curious about how she would look as his species. "Show me later, okay?"

"Sure," Betty replied and they continued watching.

xoxox xox xoxox

Eventually, Maximus picked up the kitten. "Let's watch TV," but nothing came on the screen. "Minimus, fix it!"

Minimus sighted. He knew what came next. Wearing a helmet for oxygen he headed out of the ship holding a small but powerful satellite antenna. "Can you see it now?" He asked standing outside the ship holding up the antenna.

"Not yet!" Maximus yelled.

"How about now?" Minimus pointed the antenna in a different direction.

Maximus could hear something but there was no image to go along with it. "Sound only, keep trying and hurry! Wait, that's it don't move!"

"But your evilness this position is very uncomfortable," Minimus complained from outside.

"Shut up and don't you dare move!" Maximus yelled back.

xoxox xox xoxox

After the show ended... "Can I go back inside now?"

"Fine you can come back," Maximus agree. "You complain too much."

"Look who's talking," Minimus' angry face retorted as he came back inside the ship.

"What was that?" Maximus glared.

"Nothing your evilness," normal Minimus quickly said. By now Betty, Sparky and X-5 were very amused, well at least the first two were.

"Go away now, go do something useful I need to be alone to plot my next evil plan," Maximus ordered and as soon as Minimus was gone to another section of the ship, he placed his kitten on the floor and pressed a button on the ship's controls to open a secret storage compartment. He took several action figures out and began to 'plot'. "I will take over the universe but first I'll destroy Atomic Betty!" Maximus said hitting the Atomic Betty action figure with an action figure of himself. He stopped when he felt something on his foot or rather felt nothing on his foot. "Mini Max, give me back my shoe!"

The kitten was bored already and had stolen one of Maximus's shoes. Even X-5 had to admit that it was amusing how Maximus named everything after himself. He chased after the kitten, hopping on the one foot where he still had a shoe, until he tripped and fell.

"Mew," the kitten came running to him and set the shoe on the floor.

"How dare you do this to me?" Maximus angrily got up and put his shoe back on. "You little chaos fur ball," he picked up the kitten who only meowed softly. "Aw, I can't stay angry at you," he cuddled the little kitten. "I'll go take it out on Minimus, you wait here." He placed the kitten on the floor and went off to find his sidekick and hit him on the head for something he didn't do. The kitten ran around then jumped on the controls, pressing random buttons and ending the transmission.

xoxox xox xoxox

"Aw, the show's over," Sparky frowned.

At least it was funny while it lasted," Atomic Betty said.

"I recorded it," X-5 knew they would want to watch that video again and share it with a few people.

Planet 48: Cleaning the Attic

The weekend was finally here. Betty smiled as she finished bushing her hair and tied it in a pony tail. Today would be a great day. She was allowed to sleep in until noon, had a great lunch and now she would go spend the afternoon with her friends.

She didn't have any plans, but she knew she could find either Dylan or Noah and one of them had to be free for the afternoon. If not, then someone in the universe must be unoccupied, she would just call Sparky or any of her friends from space. She realized she had more friends outside of Earth than on Earth, but that was perfectly natural since there were more people in the universe than on Earth alone.

She was about to leave when her mother called her. Wondering what she could want and why her voice came from the attic, Betty made her way up the stairs to find her mother. "Yes?"

"Betty, look at this place." Her mother was looking at the piles of old things in boxes found there. "We're running out of room here and in the garage, we need to decide what we're keeping and what has to go. Will you help me?"

Fearing for her comic book collection, which was still growing, Betty knew she would have no choice but to accept if she wanted to keep them, so much for going out that afternoon. "Yes, I'll help." At least she hasn't actually made plans so she wouldn't leave anyone waiting this time.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile in Maximus lair, coincidently the supreme super villain was up in the attic, ready to throw away the old things he no longer needed and had no room for. "Minimus, bring me that box over there," Maximus was currently sitting on a chair with a glass containing a drink similar to lemonade. He wanted to decide what to keep and what to throw away, but he wasn't going to do the work.

Minimus pushed the large box until it was in front of Maximus. He let himself fall sitting on the floor with his back resting against the box as he tried to catch his breath. Pushing around boxes that were bigger than him was a lot of hard work.

"Don't just sit there, open it and show me the items one by one and I'll tell you what I'm keeping and what I'll throw away." Maximus took a sip of the lemonade-like refreshment while Minimus started showing him the items contained in the box.

There was an old laser gun that no longer worked, which he decided to throw away. Some old pictures of Atomic Betty and her team from when they were not as well known as they are today and he needed to show his minions what they looked like, which of course he also threw away.

xoxox xox xoxox

As if it wasn't enough of a coincidence already that Betty and Maximus were both cleaning their attics, it just so happens that Sparky was helping Zulia clean the attic also.

"Sparky, X-5 look!" Zulia squealed as she found another one of Sparky's many baby picture albums.

Sparky sighed, "another one?" This would take forever to finish.

"Come here you two, let's sit down for a moment and look at it." Knowing they had no choice Sparky and X-5 sat on some boxes and listened to Zulia's endless speech about Sparky when he was a baby.

xoxox xox xoxox

On Earth, Betty had found nothing but a lot of old junk. The only things worth finding were a few comic books she thought were lost, other than that, she didn't find anything interesting.

Betty had managed to save her comics and of course her mother kept all of Purrsey's old things, so they ended up throwing away her father's old things. Betty didn't want to, since her dad was currently at work and it wasn't fair that he couldn't be there to defend his old possessions, but there was no way her mother would throw away her or Purrsey's old things and Betty just had to save her comics. At least she convinced her mom not to throw all of it away.

xoxox xox xoxox

In a planet far, far away covered with ice, there was a castle made of ice where Iciclea was currently, you guessed it, cleaning the icy attic. Most of the things there were frozen solid so Dingleberry had to break the ice, then Iciclea would decide what to keep and what to throw away.

Iciclea was currently looking at the contents of a box Dingleberry had opened a few seconds ago. "I wondered were I put this." She picked up some lipstick. She looked at her reflection from the icy walls, which were like a mirror, and tried on the makeup. "Beautiful!" She also found an old group picture of her with Nuclea and Pontifadora.

Flashback

"Stay still I want a picture" A much younger Iciclea she set up the camera. The camera stayed in mid air with an anti-gravitational devise and was programmed to automatically take a picture in a few seconds. "Come on stand together and stay still for a few seconds."

"Iciclea, we've been standing still for ages!" Pontifadora complained.

"Come on just let her have the picture," Nuclea added.

"Just a few seconds," Iciclea joined the others in front of the camera.

"Montigo berry!" They all said at the same time as the camera took a picture.

End Flashback

Planet 49: Atomic Alphabet

Word 01: Accident

Sparky was playing a game similar to hockey except it was in space. "This is fun!" Sparky hit something that looked like a hokey pug. The pug was caught in the gravity of Mars and deifying all the laws of physics, the shattering of glass was heard.

Word 02: Bracelet

"Beep, Beep, Beep!" Even inside the small chest the sound of the old Galactic Guardian bracelet could be heard. The bracelet should have been deactivated, but sometimes it still picked up a signal. She used to be a Galactic Guardian but she was retired now so the signal should not last this long. It was as if the call was truly directed at her and not just a signal the bracelet randomly picked up. Beatrixo had returned.

Word 03: Carpet

"We're going live with Exa Jerada, who is in Celebra right now!" The screen changed to the red carpet.

Red was his favorite color, and he also like fame. "I should be there," Maximus concluded.

Word 04: Darkness

Betty saw something in the night sky; it was very strange and alarming. Each of the many stars in the heavens started to disappear as if being covered by a dark fog, until everything was darkness except for the lights in the streets. It was time for another mission, the battle against the darkness never truly ended.

Word 05: Elimination

Walking around, Maximus ranted about his need for a new more unexpected strategy. "I need a new plan, something that's never been done before! I need to do something that the Galactic Guardians won't expect. Something new and powerful and... I don't know. If only I knew what Atomic Betty's home planet is, I could blow it up. It's either find out or use a process of elimination."

Word 06: Fib

Betty watched as Degill tried to answer all the calls and did his best to keep people calm, assuring them that help would be there as soon as possible. Yet the Galactic Guardians couldn't really help, it was too late, but a panic would just make things worse.

Word 07: Guardian

Betty quickly gathered her most precious belongings, photos that could not be replaced, a small spaceship with a Sparky doll as the pilot that she had for ages, a her favorite and rarest comic books. It was time to move on, it was time to leave Earth, it was time to be a Galactic Guardian all the time.

Word 08: Hungry

"Do you think there's some kind of space storm coming?" Sparky looked at the nebulas in space. With a loud growl, he realized his stomachs didn't feel as full as they did a few minutes ago and he wanted a snack.

"The weather conditions do not indicate the presence of any storm forming. But when you're hungry, it can be just as dangerous," X-5 replied.

Word 09: Inquiry

Admiral Degill was drowned in questions and it was impossible to understand them because they all spoke at the same time. Many reporters had gathered to hear to his message, but they did more inquiring than listening.

Word 10: Just in Time

Just in time, Minimus came running. "I'm here," he caught breath, Maximus bossed him around so much, he always got plenty of exercise.

Word 11: Knowledge

"Regardless of what planet we live in, we all live in the same universe." It was another quote from Spindly Tam Kanushu in his endless knowledge.

Word 12: Long Distance

"Admiral Degill!" Sparky came running into Degill's office. "Betty is on Earth and we can't contact her! "

"I'm aware of that, Sparky," Degill said embarrassed. "It seems the Galactic Guardian's plan has run out of long distance minutes..."

Word 13: Movie

Betty eventually got the chance to go out and she was able to find Noah and go to a movie. It was a science fiction space film that everyone was talking about. Betty liked the movie, she had already watched all the other movies of the series and this was the last one she needed to watch to have seen them all. Even if she did like it, she wasn't quite as impressed by that movie as Noah and many other people were, after all she had adventures like that in real life.

Word 14: Never

Robot or not, he had played an important part in helping save the galaxy so long ago. He never should have treated him this way. But Crushta was B-1's home now, and he was not returning to the Galactic Guardians, never again.

Word 15: Opportunity

"Let my ship go!" Maximus yelled, and with a roar of the engine, he broke free of the tractor beam and escaped once again. Another opportunity to capture him was gone.

Word 16: Protection

It was Maximus' home so no one would there to attack it. He wouldn't do it and if anyone did dare to shatter the peace of planet Splatty, Optica, Destructa and Roxanne would protect it. Splatty was a safe haven.

Word 17: Query

They feel heat coming from X-5 as if his system was working at full power and overheating. Finally, the light in his eyes flickered and he slowed down, "invalid query," he finally replied.

Word 18: Robot

Usually, X-5 didn't accept anything that sounded like magic, putting up logical arguments, but everyone was too focused on the problem to notice that little detail and robot were good at establishing priorities.

Word 19: Static

Beatrixo pressed a small button on the bracelet and a hologram appeared, however nothing could be seen in the hologram, it was just static. The bracelet was malfunctioning because it has been unused for so many years, it was another sign that she should have stepped out of retirement sooner.

Word 20: Time

"That classified information is time locked in the Galactic Guardians databases. We'll have to hack into our own systems to access the critical information we have in less then one hundred years!" Degill didn't know what he was thinking when he approved of the time lock.

Word 21: Useless

There was nothing that could be done while no one could go in or out of the planets that were affected. The Galactic Guardians really were trying their best, no one could deny that, but it was useless.

Word 22: Victory

"An intergalactic level emergency! They said in the news it was an intergalactic level emergency! Not just planetary or galactic, it's intergalactic!" Even if Betty was about to stop him, Maximus still felt victorious.

Word 23: Wild

Some one came running into Degill's office whispered something to him and Degill quickly excused himself from the press, saying he had official Galactic Guardian business to attend to. The members of the press were not pleased by this and followed him, insisting that all their questions were answered, saying that people had the right to know. Several guardians were needed to stop the press from following Admiral Degill into a restricted area. Press conferences could be so wild.

Word 24: X-5

"Nothing is confirmed yet, but lets report it to the Galactic Guardians Head Quarters just in case." X-5 concluded that sometimes it was best not to disregard things because of their low probabilities. He learned from experience that statistics could change drastically in a mere few seconds.

Word 25: Yearning

"Shut up and let me take a nap!" Maximus silenced his sidekick, he yearned for some sleep.

Word 26: Zulia

Betty watched Sparky and Zulia. She wondered how her parents were doing, her grandparents, Dylan, Noah and even Purrsey. She had to visit Earth soon.

Planet 50: Repairs

Underground there were many dark tunnels. B-1 led them to another room to try to repair X-5. "Will he be alright?" Sparky asked.

"He'll be fine," B-1 started on the repairs.

Thankfully the repairs didn't take too long and X-5 was reactivated and fully functional soon. "Are you okay now X-5?" Betty asked.

"I am functioning properly captain. Uncle B-1, it's good to see you again," X-5 confirmed.

"Good to see you too nephew," B-1 replied. It was a puzzle how X-5 couldn't be repaired at headquarters, he just wouldn't reboot. Maybe he just needed his uncle's care.

End of Solar System V

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty. 


	6. Part 6

Atomic Galaxy: Solar System VI

Planet 51: Certainty

They arrived back at the Galactic Guardians Headquarters with the Starcruiser severely damaged and barely functional, the crew thought it would be torn apart. "Welcome back," Admiral Degill was sure they would make it.

Planet 52: Gone

Pieces of metal floated in space, it was clearly part of the space station that once was the Galactic Guardians Headquarters. Degill recognized the pieces of the walls and random objects floating around. The admiral decided to go outside.

Rodger stayed on the ship, he didn't even want to look let alone get any closer, he didn't say it but Degill understood. The admiral didn't want to go either but he needed to investigate.

After a few minutes Degill was back aboard the ship. It was official, the Galactic Guardians Headquarters where destroyed with no survivors.

Planet 53: Cavity

It all started at breakfast that day. He had been getting a strange feeling in his mouth, always on a specific tooth, but he thought it was nothing to worry about. That time the feeling became stronger and he didn't like it, but he ignored it. The morning passed normally as Maximus was busy plotting his next evil plan and hitting Minimus on the head.

Then came the time for lunch and by the time he was done eating, the bad feeling in his tooth was too much to ignore. "My tooth hurts!" Maximus complained. "It's Bernadette's fault, it must have been something I ate."

"Maybe it's a cavity," Minimus pointed out, which earned him a hit to the head.

"Super villains do not have cavities." However Maximus knew there was a possibility, a very small possibility, that Minimus could be right. He opened his mouth in front of a mirror. No, that thing back there couldn't be a cavity it just couldn't. "Minimus what's that thing in my mouth?" He moved so the sidekick could see what he meant.

Minimus spotted the cavity. "Just as I said, it's a cavity and a big one, on the very back. By the way your evilness what did you have for lunch today?"

"I had a delicious onion pizza and some onion cookies for dessert. Why do you ask?" Maximus replied, as if the question was completely unrelated to the situation.

"Because your breath stinks like onions," Minimus's angry face growled. He switched back to his normal face and tried to correct himself, "no reason, just out of curiosity, your evilness."

It was too late because Maximus hit him on the head again, then continued his denial. "That can't be a cavity I want a second opinion!"

He got his second opinion from chef Bernadette, who promised on her chef's word of honor, that she would never cook anything with onions for Maximus again. "Yes, it's a cavity alright; it's not so bad, I'm sure the dentist can fix it. You know what's really soft and won't hurt your teeth when you eat it? Mint flavor cake with lost and lots of mint marshmallows. Why don't I make that for dinner?"

"Don't you mean dinner's dessert?" Maximus asked.

"To eat cake for dinner doesn't hurt every now and then. Besides it'll make you feel better while you recover from the cavity," Bernadette explained. He was going to eat mint cake with the mint marshmallows one way or another. That was the only thing with a mint scent strong enough to cure the onion breath that he somehow didn't notice he had.

"Sounds good to me," Maximus agreed. "I'll be busy getting rid of the cavity for the rest of the afternoon."

"You're actually going to the dentist, your evilness?" Minimus was surprised.

"No!" Maximus yelled, as if Minimus had said a terrible thing. "I'm going to try to brush it off."

"Maximus, no matter how much you try to brush your teeth to make the cavity go away, it won't work," Bernadette reasoned. "It's a cavity and it doesn't come off that way."

"But I don't want to go to the dentist," Maximus complained. "I'm a super villain, I can live with this ow!" It wasn't fair, at first it only hurt every now and then, but now it hurt every few minutes. What if it started hurting none stop? Well he was not going to the dentist.

xoxox xox xoxox

The next day, Atomic Betty, Sparky and X-5 arrived at the lair. Maximus sent a message to the galactic guardians saying he stole something valuable and to get it back, Atomic Betty had to beat him in a light saber duel, but he didn't say what it was. However, when Atomic Betty arrived ready for action, she found Maximus sitting on the couch looking like he was in pain.

"What's wrong, didn't you want to duel me, and what was that thing you stole?" The galactic guardians didn't receive any reports of anything being stolen, but Betty went to check it out, just in case.

"I lied, ow!" By now Maximus didn't think a light saber duel with his galactic guardian enemy would be enough to get his mind off the pain after all. "It didn't, ouch, hurt this, ow, much when I, ow, called. I just, ouch, wanted a, oh, distraction."

"Let me see," Betty slowly approached and Maximus covered his mouth and shook his head. "Aw c'mon, I'm not a dentist, I'm a galactic guardian." He opened his mouth, reasoning he was safe. Everything looked normal except for that oversized cavity in the back. Lucky for Betty, Bernadette had given Maximus a lot of mint cake to eat early, which he accepted since it was so soft and yummy. "You need to get that cavity fixed or it'll hurt more. I had one, it was very painful, but now it's gone."

"I'm not going to ah!" It was so painful he couldn't even move his mouth without making it worse.

"Can we really blame him chief? Dentists are so scary." Sparky remembered his own dentist experience. Zulia, Betty and X-5 were there with him, but he was still terrified and tried to escape a few times.

"Good point, but it's worse having to deal with the pain all the time," Betty pointed out.

"If you don't want to go to the dentist, maybe I can pull out the tooth," X-5 said it as if it was nothing. Maximus covered his mouth and shook his head again, while backing away from X-5. "I guess that's a no."

"Poor Maximus, this is like punishment for all the evil things he did and more." Sparky was so afraid of the dentist he wouldn't wish for this to happen to anyone, not even a villain.

When people have experienced a certain pain, it's easier to understand someone who is in the same situation. "It's okay Maximus, we'll go to the dentist with you." Betty gave him a friendly smile, which only served to scare him more. He was in a defenseless kitten state due to the sharp pain from the cavity. "It's okay, the three of us will go with you and make you come out of it alive." Maybe that wasn't the best way to phrase it.

"Um... chief are we really taking him to the dentist?" Sparky feared the worse.

"He lied about stealing something. Maybe it's his way of indirectly asking for the help of the galactic guardians and it is our duty to help everyone!" Atomic Betty saluted, to no one in particular.

"That's so inspiring but the dentist is so scary!" Sparky was still unsure.

"I think this conversation isn't helping," X-5 pointed to Maximus, who was now in a corner of the room looking completely helpless and terrified. He was sure that if this pain didn't kill him, he was going to live with it for the rest of his life, or face something worse, the dentist.

Sparky being nice as he is, couldn't help it but to feel sorry for him. "Aw poor evil villain," then looked determined. "Let's do it chief! We'll take Maximus to the dentist and make sure he comes out of it alive!"

"Right!" Atomic Betty walked over to Maximus, but when she was a few steps away, he jumped and attached himself to the ceiling. "Maximus, we're trying to help you!"

All the while Minimus was watching. He switched to his angry face and whispered something in Betty's ear, then he ran off to continue watching the show. Switching back to his normal face, he felt a little guilty about this, but it was better than to have Maximus complaining about the pain all the time.

Sparky climbed on X-5 and Betty climbed on Sparky. The three tried to maintain their balance as they slowly approached Maximus. He stayed in the ceiling watching them curiously, but still in pain. Once she was close enough Betty tickled him make him let go. He landed on his feet being a cat, and tried to hold back the painful laughter. Then it was off to the dentist once he had been caught.

xoxox xox xoxox

Once he was dragged inside the waiting room, Maximus decided that since he was there, he might as well get it over with. He was being treated like a small child, but he was in too much pain to care.

Minimus was entertained by a comic book from the books and magazines in the waiting room and Betty was looking at another comic. X-5 was looking at a robotics magazine and apparently blushing.

Sparky was looking at a magazine about space ships. He noticed Maximus looking scared and decided to prove what a great galactic guardian he is by being nice and cheering him up a bit. "Look at this ship, isn't it cool?"

Maximus nodded slowly. He didn't want to risk moving his mouth to speak and causing more pain to come from the cavity.

Sparky turned the page, "oh, oh." In this new page, there were many pictures of tools used to construct the ships. Looking at drills and pointy things is not a good thing to do while waiting at the dentist's office.

Maximus fainted from pure fear but the others were busy reading and didn't notice. Betty looked at Maximus, who was still unconscious. "You got him to take a nap," she whispered, "good job Sparky." Sparky didn't correct her.

After a while, the waiting was over and as soon as Maximus's name was called, he woke up and attached himself to the ceiling again. "Doctor, we have a situation here," the secretary called.

The doctor came out to the waiting room and saw Maximus attached to the ceiling. "Sorry about that," Betty apologized for him, since he was probably scratching the paint and scaring the other people in the waiting room.

"It's alright, it happens all the time. I get the ceiling painted once a week anyway," the dentist was a lynx too. They decided to take Maximus to a dentist in Mega Kat city on planet Lynxia to make him feel more comfortable. "Come on down from there I won't hurt you!" Maximus shook his head. He wasn't going to trust the dentist no matter how friendly he looked. "Would you come down for the Swat Kats?" Maximus shook his head again. "How strange I usually get them to come down by dressing up in a Swat Kat uniform," the lynx dentist was used to dealing with children who are afraid of the dentist on a daily basis, but this case would be a challenge. "I'll give you sugar free candy!"

Still Maximus wouldn't come down and Betty was losing her patience. "That's it, Maximus come down from there or I'll tickle you and you know that cavity hurts when you laugh!"

If it weren't because it hurt to move his mouth, Maximus would have said something along the lines of 'cruel galactic guardian I will have my revenge!' Instead he jumped down in silence.

Suddenly the dentist remembered where he had seen those clothes. "You're a fan of Maximus IQ, right? Let's pretend we're going into a secret hide out to plot ways to take over the universe!" Needless to say, the dentist didn't think he was the real Maximus IQ.

After being dragged inside the medical area, it took a miracle to get Maximus to sit still on the chair and an even bigger one to get him to open his mouth. But it didn't look like that second miracle was going to happen, so Betty simply stepped on his tail claiming that it was for his own good.

The dentist then put some sticky stuff that tasted like banana on the injured tooth so that Maximus would have no feeling on that part of his mouth. Thanks goodness for advanced pain killers or his patient wouldn't stay still for more than half a second.

Soon the tooth was fixed and Maximus could leave. "That wasn't so bad and for being such a brave super villain, I'll give you some sugar free candy." The dentist handed him a large cheery flavored sugar free lollypop, which Maximus happily licked after the torture was over.

"Now I can go back to taking over the universe!" His classic evil laugh echoed all over the building, he was happy to find it no longer hurt to laugh or yell.

xoxox xox xoxox

Outside the office, a yellow lynx with brown stripes stood frozen. "Did you hear that, Jake?"

"I'm sure it was nothing, Chance," a brown lynx replied. It had taken him a long time to convince his best friend to stop complaining about his cavity and get it fixed.

"But I heard an evil laugh coming from inside this place," Chance insisted. "I don't want to do this anymore, I'll just have to live with the pain. I'm going home," Chance ran away.

Jake chased after him. "I'm sure that evil laugh was nothing, come back!"

Just a few minutes after they were gone Maximus came out of the dentist's office. "Minimus, call a space taxi. I know you were the one who told Atomic Betty to tickle me and you'll pay for that when we get back to the lair!" They jumped in the space taxi and flew back to Maximus's lair, since they had come in the Starcruiser.

xoxox xox xoxox

Inside the office, Betty was looking at the dentist's bill. "After we helped him, he runs off and leaves us with the bill!"

"I knew coming to the dentist was a bad idea," Sparky pouted.

"There was a 99.9% chance that he would try to get back at us somehow," X-5 calculated.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Sparky asked.

"You didn't ask," X-5 replied.

Planet 54: Three Magic Stones

"Thank you so much Atomic Betty for saving my kingdom and for the pictures and autograph!" The young princess of planet Piedra was as happy as can be. Atomic Betty had just stopped a band of thieves from getting away with the royal family's treasures, which weren't all that many anyway. Planet Piedra was not rich in gold and jewels, but its inhabitants were very nice people.

Princess Caliza was seven years old and a big fan of Atomic Betty. Like most people from her planet, she was covered in white fur with little spots, in this case blue. Her ears were kind of big, a cross between cat ears and rabbit ears. Her face looked human, save for the fur, and she has a long fluffy tail, too big and long for the size of her body.

Betty wondered how these people walked around all day with those big tails and ears, but it's the way they were born, so they must be used to it by now.

The planet was covered in a light gray strong stone that prevented the locals from cultivating any plants. Their food came from large gardens that were filled with soil from other planets, just deep enough for small plants to take root. The planet was covered in mountains and rocks, many, many rocks.

"I'm happy to help," Atomic Betty saluted and looked cool from her little fan.

Caliza giggled and clapped. "I wish I could be a Galactic Guardian, but I need to stay here and learn to be a queen. That's what daddy said. But I want to be like you and save people and stuff."

"Your kingdom needs you," Betty said. "You can help them and keep them safe. You'll be Piedra's own Galactic Guardian." Caliza looked happy enough with that new way to look at the situation. But now it was time to leave. "Sparky, X-5!"

After the thieves were stopped, while Betty talked to the princess, a few servants had brought food for their heroes to regain their strength after the battle with the thieves, which wasn't all that hard for them anyway. Sparky was happily eating while X-5 tried to tell him to behave in front of royalty. "She's not looking this way anyway," Sparky replied with his mouth full.

"Sparky and X-5 are happy with the food I think, maybe we should wait for them to finish" The princess smiled and signaled. The servants continued to bring food, it was clear that the way they saw it, when Sparky had recovered his energy, he would simply stop eating and if he continued to eat, it was because he really needed it.

Betty knew where this was going. "Okay, we can play for a little while."

"Can we play legendary hero?" Princess Caliza asked.

"Sure, let's play legendary hero" Betty agreed. "How do you play that game?"

"You're the hero that needs to save the planet and I'm the magical fairy that will help you," Caliza explained. "To save Piedra you must find three magical stones, pretend magic that is. We also need a villain." Caliza thought of the possibilities for a moment. X-5 and Sparky were busy eating, well Sparky was busy eating, but X-5 appeared to be giving him a speech so he was busy too. "Nanny, can you call Marmo?"

"Right away princess." The princess's babysitter, who stood quietly in the corner of the room the entire time, left the building while Caliza explained the rest of the game.

The castle wasn't as big as other alien castles. This one only had three floors and another one floor structure next to it, which contained the treasures of the royal family. It was made from the same light gray stone that the houses around it were made of and didn't look very different from them on the inside. In fact the princess was dressed just as any other little girl from the planet, with no tiaras or expensive jewelry.

Soon the old woman with white fur and red spots returned with a little boy of the same species, this one with green spots. After Caliza explained the game, she and Marmo used their shape shifting abilities, similar to Chameleon's species. Caliza turned into a fairy and Marmo turned into Maximus IQ, the villain of their little game.

xoxox xox xoxox

Later, on top of a mountain, the real Maximus looked down as if looking for someone. "I know I saw Atomic Betty's ship land here, so where could she be?"

As if on cue Atomic Betty came running up the mountain path carved around it in a spiral. "Stop evil villain, you shall not get the magical stone of power!" Betty assumed that was Marmo.

Maximus' ship was well hidden at the base of the mountain and he had made Minimus carry him up there to get a better view without exposing his ship. After that the sidekick collapsed behind some rocks. Betty ran past Maximus and into a little cave near the top of the mountain. The stones from this mountain were a darker gray and they had little white spots. That's how the faerie of the game would know the stone came from the mountain.

Betty picked up a random rock from the ground. "I have obtained the stone of power!"

Maximus blinked in confusion, but believed it none the less. "Give it to me!" He tried to get it, but Betty was too fast. He kept chasing her around the mountain until he finally gave up. He wasn't in a good mood today. That's why he came looking for Atomic Betty, he needed to fight with his enemy to get the tension out of his system and get rid of the stress that came from being the universe's greatest super villain. Everyone expected so much from him after all. With all the stress building up he exploded in a temper tantrum. "It's not fair! I want the stone of power! Give it to me! I'm the greatest super villain in the universe, I should have it!"

"Alright, alright here," Betty handed him the ordinary rock while thinking about what a great actor Marmo turned out to be. "You may have taken that stone, but it will not work without the other two and the magical faerie has revealed their location only to me!" Betty ran down the mountain.

Maximus found her behavior to be quite strange, maybe the altitude was affecting her. "Minimus, let's go, we need to follow Atomic Betty and get the other two magical stones!" He decided to forget about her strange behavior and concentrate on the magical stones. "Minimus!"

Minimus crawled from behind some rocks. "Your evilness, I can't carry you again!"

"Yes you can!" Maximus sat down but Minimus couldn't even lift him. "Useless sidekick! I'll have to follow her myself." He kicked Minimus, who rolled down the mountain.

Betty quickly reached the foot of the mountain and looked back to see if the one she thought was Marmo was still following her. By now Caliza must have hidden the light gray rock with a little star painted on it in the area to the west of the village and that was the next part of the game, the stone of courage.

Maximus was too tired to care if Betty saw him or not, he reached the ground and fell. "Too tired, carry me!" He closed his eyes, he was too tired and if his sidekick didn't come to get him he would take a nap there and then, but the ground was so hard and uncomfortable.

The next thing he knew, someone picked him up. Maximus opened his eyes and found Betty giving him a piggyback ride. "This is just until we get to the west area, then we're enemies again." Betty spoke in her overly dramatic tone.

"Works for me," Maximus was weirded out, but too tired to care.

xoxox xox xoxox

Soon, they reached the west area. As they approached the area with three large boulders forming a triangle they saw, another Maximus. "I have obtained the stone of courage, now we each have one and we must race to find the last one!" Marmo, who looked exactly like Maximus, paused. "How come you're giving Maximus a piggyback ride, I thought he was your enemy." Marmo changed back to normal. "Did he get hurt or something and can't walk by himself?"

Betty dropped Maximus. "Meow!" Maximus got up and complained. "The ground is really hard here!"

"I thought you were... How could I not know? The temper tantrum was a dead give away," Betty shook her head. She didn't expect to find the real Maximus there, on a planet that didn't posses any valuable natural resources, treasures or technology.

"I have the stone of power!" Maximus proudly held up what he thought was a valuable magical treasure.

"It's just a game," Betty revealed. "This entire time we were playing and he was supposed to be the pretend villain." She pointed at Marmo.

"A game? So this is just a rock?" Maximus asked and Betty nodded. "I don't believe you, that's what you're saying so I don't use it to take over the universe!"

The shape shifting boy who had the stone of courage spoke, "I'll give you this stone if you give me an autograph."

"It's a deal," Maximus pulled an autographed picture out his sleeve and handed it to the boy in exchange for the stone of courage. He knew carrying those autographed pictures was a good idea, you never know when you'll find fan. "Where is the third stone?"

"The stone of wisdom is right over there," Marmo pointed to a group of little rocks. "It's one of those, but I don't know which one."

"I'll find it!" Maximus ran over to the rocks and started picking them up and looking at them one by one. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he thought he would know when he saw it.

"At least one of Sparky's stomachs must be full by now, let's go back." Betty and Marmo headed back to the castle. Maximus would probably be there for a long time, trying to find which of those rocks was magical. "Why did you ask for an autograph?"

"Caliza collects things that are related to you in any way, including your super villain rivals, so she'll want to have this," Marmo explained.

Planet 55: Atomic Betty Characters Manual

Congratulations, you are now the proud owner of an Atomic Betty character. With the help of this user guide, you will be able to have countless hours of fun and entertainment with your Atomic Betty character.

This is a standard guide that includes information about our most requested products, additional products are available! Although we tried to sell X-5, the robot company that originally made the model holds the copyright to him and so Galactic Guardians INC. does not have him available at the moment.

First of all, please make sure the box is right side up before activating Atomic Betty. I'm sure you wouldn't like waking up to find yourself upside-down.

Now take the remote control that has been provided, point it at Atomic Betty, and press the ON button. (The remote control batteries are included!)

Atomic Betty is the easiest to deal with of our current available products, so if you plan to purchase the entire collection, we suggest you start with her.

When first activated, Atomic Betty will be in her earthling outfit. If you wish for her to wear her Galactic Guardian uniform, activate her bracelet and she will automatically change.

Warning: Do not try to take away her bracelet. Atomic Betty is programmed to be rather protective of it. Galactic Guardians INC. will not be held responsible for any property damage and or injuries that may occur to you or others as a reaction of self defense if you make Atomic Betty feel threatened.

Atomic Betty will start out at the age of twelve and will grow up at a normal human speed by default. You may program her to become younger or older using the remote control. To do this, press the age button so that it lights up, and press stop to make her stop aging, fast forward or rewind to make her grow up or become younger respectably. If you want her to continue to grow at a normal speed, press play.

Warning: If you turn Atomic Betty into a baby she will be very hyper. Make sure you have enough experience in babysitting before you attempt this.

WARNING: DO NOT let Atomic Betty interact with other Atomic Bettys for too long or she will think they are evil clones and the ultimate battle of the Betties will begin. We will not be held responsible for any damage they cause.

To end the war, press OFF and take your Atomic Betty home. When you reactivate her and she asks what happened, tell her that while she was knocked out, the evil clones were arrested and taken way by the Galactic Guardians.

If it is Minimus PU that you purchased, taking care of him will be quite easy also. Minimus PU can be slightly clumsy sometimes so he might not be as easy to take care of as Atomic Betty. However, he is extremely obedient and will not give you much trouble.

Minimus PU's age control works in the same way as Atomic Betty's age control. You will notice that there are two extra buttons on the control to switch from one face to another. Pressing them both at the same time makes his head spin around. The limited warranty will not cover the costs if Minimus PU's head falls off due to excessive spinning.

Minimus PU will require a certain amount of supervision since he is far more dependant on being told what to do than Atomic Betty. Make sure that if you're going away for the day, you leave a list of things for him to do or he will be bored and sad all day because you're not there to boss him around. It is also good to occasionally hit him on the head, but not too hard. Contrary to what it may seem, this motivates Minimus PU to work harder and he considers it a positive reinforcement.

For Sparky, you must also follow the standard procedure as done for Atomic Betty and Minimus PU, making sure the box is right side up and so on. Be warned that once he is activated, he will be hungry all the time.

Sparky has a very big appetite and can, at times, be easily upset. Like the previously discussed units, he too comes with an age control and an ON and OFF button on the remote control. Do not be surprised if you leave him at home and come back to find the refrigerator completely empty. Galactic Guardians INC. will not cover the costs of food for this or any other units.

Other than his Galactic Guardian uniform, Sparky also comes with a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and sunglasses. If you're going to the beach or to a picnic and he finds out, he will most likely want to tag alone.

Warning: Do not take Sparky to a buffet or he will eat everything and most likely get you banned from it. It is important that you do not take him to a restaurant either or he may eat too much and you'll both end up washing dishes.

WARNING: Sparky is allergic to cats. If he is exposed to the presence of a cat for too long, he will end up looking like a huge balloon due to his allergies. Galactic Guardians INC. will not be held responsible for any inconveniences that this may cause.

If you or your neighbor has an Atomic Betty, do not be surprised if Sparky disappears with her. They are off in search of their third team member X-5. A petition is in the works for Galactic Guardian INC. to buy the copyright for the X-5 model from Kai-Shin-Ba-Ra Corporation. However, if you have an X-5, although it wasn't manufactured by our company, it is compatible with all our units.

Warning: Do not leave a Sparky alone with a Maximus IQ or he will get captured and held hostage. You will require an Atomic Betty to rescue him.

Finally this promotional manual will discuss the Maximus IQ unit, which is one of the most challenging to take care of. Before ordering this product, you are required to mail in a signed consent where you agree that once you activate the unit, you are responsible for anything it may do. You may find a blank copy of the form on our website.

As an extra accessory, Maximus IQ comes with a laser gun (fully charged!), which he will most likely use to try to kill you the second you activate him. It is up to you to dodge the lasers until he gun needs to be recharged. Alternatively you may bring your Atomic Betty programmed to age 12 or older and she will protect you and disarm Maximus IQ.

Like most felines, Maximus IQ enjoys playing with balls of yarn, so make sure to supply him with a few balls of high quality yarn to keep him entertained. Having a Minimus PU around is also recommended. Otherwise, Maximus IQ might take a liking to hitting you on the head.

If you have a cat you don't have to worry. Maximus IQ gets along very well with cats. If you have a dog however, it is vital that you do not leave Maximus IQ unsupervised with your dog. If you do, one or both may be injured. Galactic Guardians INC. will not replace damaged Maximus IQ units due to exposure to dogs. We will not be held responsible for your dog's injuries nor your dog's death if Maximus IQ happens to have his laser gun at hand.

Maximus IQ is the most stubborn and disobedient of our units. It is not a manufacturing defect, that is the way he is supposed to be. If your remote control is lost, or he throws it away and you cannot deactivate him, send an Atomic Betty to stop him. If he is already on a mad rampage of destruction, consider also sending a Sparky as backup. Sending a Sparky may help the Atomic Betty deal with the situation or he may get captured and make things worse, we recommend that you use your own judgment for this decision.

If you do not have an Atomic Betty available do not sent a Sparky alone. Sending a Minimus PU will not help either. Sending a team of Beatrixo, Jim, Admiral Degill and Zulia will prove quite useful. For more information about those units consult the Atomic Betty Characters Manual Part 2 available in the summer of 2584. If you do not have any of those units available, follow these simple steps to get Maximus IQ to calm down.

Warning: You may lose your life in this process and we will not be held liable for that. These are only suggestions and it is up to you to determine if they should be followed or not.

Before you continue reading, you must know that you should not threaten to send Atomic Betty to stop Maximus IQ unless you can backup that threat, in which case you don't need these steps.

First get Maximus IQ's attention with a ball of yarn. It is recommended that you are holding a kitten while doing this. Maximus IQ will worry about hitting the kitten and will avoid shooting you.

Throw the ball of yarn so that Maximus IQ goes after it. When he tries to pick it up, scratch his ears. He will purr then complain. Keep scratching even if he insults you. He will eventually fall asleep. Take him home and let him sleep while you search for your remote control or order a replacement. (See the technical support number at the end.)

When Maximus IQ wakes up and asks about the chaos and destruction he was causing. Tell him it was a dream and offer him a glass of milk to help him fall asleep again. If needed sing a lullaby. Make sure you have a good singing voice, otherwise he will be angered and try to claw your throat off in an attempt to 'fix' your voice. Once you have a remote control, reboot by turning him OFF and ON again. After rebooting he should be -relatively- calm again.

If you decided that taking care of a Maximus IQ is too much work, before giving him as an anonymous present to your worse enemy, consider using rewind to change his age. He is much easier to take care of as a kitten. Plus he will take up less room in your closet if you decide to deactivate him and store him away.

Troubleshooting (aka the only part of the manual that people actually read because they never read it until something goes wrong).

All our products need to sleep and eat to recharge. The Sparky is the only one with an infinite appetite. Before continuing with his section, make sure your units have received an appropriate amount of food and rest. Too much or too little of either may cause them to malfunction.

"I ordered an Atomic Betty and got a Beatrixo instead."

Does she have blue eyes? If so, then yes, you got Beatrixo. Send her back and we will send you your Atomic Betty free of extra charge. We apologize for the inconvenience. If she has green ayes then the remote control's fast forward was most likely pressed against the box during the shipping process. (Batteries are included!) Press the age button then rewind and Atomic Betty will become young again.

"I can't make Sparky stop eating!"

Didn't you read the rest of the manual? He is always hungry. He digests food faster than he can eat and because of that his four stomachs are never all full at the same time.

"My friend's Maximus IQ captured my Sparky. We don't have an Atomic Betty, is there another way to rescue him?"

We recommend you read the rest of the manual, or just buy an Atomic Betty.

"My Atomic Betty and Maximus IQ or Sparky are acting strangely, as if they are in love or something."

I'm sorry to say that your units are infected with the Odd Couple Virus. Rebooting both the units involved should deactivate the virus.

Warning: Re-setting Atomic Betty's age will not solve the problem. It will only upset Maximus IQ or Sparky, who will try to restore her to the programmed age she was when the virus was activated.

If your question was not answered in this promotional manual, you may want to purchase our exclusive Step by Step Guide to the Atomic Betty Characters, a five thousand page comprehensive guide, where all your possible doubts and questions will be answered.

If you still need help after purchasing the guide, please contact our friendly technical support team at 5-ATOMIC-BETTY, for the low price of ten dollars a minute.

Characters made in Mars...

MANUAL MADE IN LYNXIA!

Planet 56: Her First Day in Outer Space

A loud crash was heard and the ship shook violently, almost spinning out of control. Maximus engaged the stabilizers and hit the breaks. "Are we alive?" Minimus was hiding under his chair.

"Of course you're alive," Maximus said. "We're here, now I just need to get the ship in there." He pointed to the space where he was supposed to park the ship. His piloting skills would improve greatly in the next few years and those who had seen him pilot a space ship in the future, could only imagine how he did in the past. Without accelerating too much, Maximus guided to the ship to the proper place with only a few scratches on the garage walls and ship. "That wasn't so bad." The young lynx left the ship, followed by his sidekick.

"Maximus IQ!" A furious voice came from the main building.

"I didn't think he would be back so soon!" Maximus analyzed the situation and any possible ways of escape.

"I told you we shouldn't have taken your father's new ship while he was at the super villain reunion," Minimus's normal face said. "You never listen to me!" His angry face complained.

"Shut up and get back in the ship!" Maximus kicked Minimus inside.

He saw his father opening the door that connected the ship's garage area with the main house. The reason he had decided to take his old ship along instead of the new one was because he had to pass by an area full of meteors and didn't wan to scratch it. His son was still a super villain in training and he didn't want to take him to the more professional villain meetings until he was ready, so he was to stay on planet Splatty. The problem was that he had taken his father's new ship while he was away and caused more damage than any meteor could have. "Get out of that ship right now!"

Maximus set the ship in reverse and crashed against a large tree, not before taking the fence with him. "You're supposed to go up!" He battled with the controls some more, until the ship took off and left Splatty's atmosphere. "There's no way dad will catch us in the old ship."

"But wouldn't stealing his ship twice in the same day make him even angrier?" Minimus asked.

"I'm not stealing it, I'm borrowing it because the one I got for my birthday is broken," Maximus hit Minimus on the head. His ship own was in fact very broken after the way he flew it. "Besides, dad only needs a little time to calm down and by the time we're back, he won't be angry anymore." It was the natural choice; procrastinate until there is no other choice.

Maximus continued pressing random buttons, trying to find which one was the radio, but instead sent the ship to hyper space, throwing it far away from Splatty. His first reaction was to hit the accelerator, which was probably not a good idea. "Your evilness watch out for that planet!" Minimus screamed as they approached Earth in a collision course.

xoxox xox xoxox

In a day care center in Moose Jaw Heights, Canada. A little girl about three years old with badly cut red hair and big green eyes approached the other children to play a game. Her grandmother was busy with work in a place far away. Her father was on a business trip and her mother was at a pet show. Betty's mother went to cat shows even before Sir Purrsefus was born and she didn't think she should take Betty along. She was too young to understand. But the little girl was a lot smarter than she was given credit for.

Another little girl of the same age pointed at her and laughed. She had brown hair and brown eyes, her name was Penelope. "Ugly hair," she let out a high pitched mocking giggle.

Betty touched her short red hair, which her mother had recently unevenly cut. She had tried to put her daughter's hair into pigtails and only a little of it was long enough for that. She still put two big bows on Betty's head, hoping to hide the problem. It looked truly like a nightmare. "Meany!" Little Betty retorted.

Two other little girls stood beside Penelope. "No like," Sarah pointed.

Megan nodded, "we no play with you."

Penelope laughed again. "Yucky!" She pushed the red haired girl.

Betty stumbled backwards but didn't fall. She wasn't going to let Penelope insult her. Without warning she tackled her, getting the attention of the adults in the day care center. "No! Bad Betty!" A woman picked her up. Ironically she hasn't noticed when Penelope was being mean.

Realizing that Betty was in trouble, Penelope decided to make it worse. "Wah!" She cried loudly in a voice that almost made glass shatter. "I got a boo boo!"

Soon Sarah and Megan joined in, claiming that they too had acquired boo boos and it was all Betty's fault. The result was that Betty got a time out in the corner, while Penelope got all the attention from the grownups.

"Meany head!" Betty called out from her corner, but gained nothing but an extra five minutes of time out. She sighed sadly, if only there was something she could do. Penelope loved attention. The best way to get back at her and make sure she didn't bother her about her hair anymore, was to have a hair style better than Penelope's that would get all the attention. But how was she going to achieve that?

xoxox xox xoxox

On Earth's atmosphere, Maximus' ship continued to plunge into the planet, trapped in its gravity. "We're going to die!" Minimus yelled. "It's all your fault!" His angry face added.

"I'm too perfect to die!" Maximus tried to get the ship under control.

The ship spun around and Maximus managed to hold on to the controls, but Minimus was thrown around the ship and landed on the controls activating the beam. They were flying above Betty's day care center when Maximus regained control of the ship, just as the beam was activated. They pick up a red haired little girl who had been sitting alone in a corner before they left Earth's atmosphere.

"I told you I had everything under control," Maximus started to regain his normal color. "I wasn't scared. You're such a coward Minimus."

Before the sidekick could communicate his sarcastic reply, another voice was heard. "Plushie!" A little human girl ran to Maximus and hugged him.

He looked at the strange creature, they must have picked her up by accident in that planet. "Since you're here I might as well keep you as a pet," he picked her up.

"But your evilness I don't think your father would like it if you kept that thing as your pet," Minimus warned.

"He doesn't need to know, I'll keep her hidden," Maximus replied. "But look at that hair, I need to take her to one of those places for pets so they turn her into a pet worthy of me." It was decided and while they traveled on autopilot, Maximus tried to teach his new pet some tricks. "Roll over and I'll buy some pet cookies for you when we arrive."

Betty simply stared at him. "My plushie," she pointed.

"Look it's like this," Maximus demonstrated what roll over meant by doing it himself.

Betty approached while he was still on the floor and patted his head, "good plushie." Minimus found it quite funny because it looked his he was her pet, but he stopped laughing when Maximus kicked him across the room. "Meany, time out!" Betty pointed to a corner.

Maximus didn't quite understand what she meant, but he didn't pay attention. To him those were only random words she said, after all, she was only a pet. He recognized her species as the same species as Beatrixo, but still he insisted on keeping her as a pet anyway.

The ship's computer announced they had arrived at their destination and after a short trip to the pet salon, Betty's hair grew back with a special shampoo and she was given a good haircut. Her hair was styled in a very different way from anything normally found on Earth but it looked good.

After some time walking around the mall where the pet salon was, Maximus and Minimus returned to pick her up. "This be no business of mine to intrude in where thou found this creature. But me has observed that the creature is not like most pets. Arth thou sure she be a pet and not a child of alien species?" The hair stylist at the salon had asked.

"Of course she's a pet," Maximus assured. Soon after that, they headed back to Splatty with little Betty and many bags full of pet food and pet toys.

xoxox xox xoxox

Maximus' father was of course still angry when his son returned and letting him keep a pet was out of the question, especially one that reminded him of Beatrixo. "Put that creature back where you found it, or better yet destroy it! I don't want you bringing filthy animals to the house, it's enough that I let you keep Minimus around."

"But father, she's my pet and Minimus is my sidekick! I'm keeping her no matter what you say!" Maximus originally planned to sneak in, but his father saw him and discovered Betty.

"Absolutely not!" Maximus Sr. yelled.

"Why not? I'll feed her, I'll walk her, I'll play with her. You won't have to do anything!" Maximus complained.

"Sure you're attached to her now that she's little, but you'll probably get bored of her when she grows up. Besides, she looks like a child of Beatrixo's species more than a pet," Max Sr. pointed out.

Maximus stopped to think about it. What if his father was right? He knew that the creature was in fact of Beatrixo's species, but he thought he could still get away with keeping her for a pet. She was small, like many pet creatures are, and she didn't speak many words. But what if she got older and became his enemy? What if she grew up to be like Beatrixo? No that wouldn't happen, "I'm keeping her!" Maximus picked up his pet and went to his room.

Minimus followed, carrying the bags. "Wait for me, your evilness!"

"Fine, but if that thing leaves your room, it's going to have an unpleasant encounter with my light saber. Don't come out of there till the next century, you're grounded!" Max Sr. angrily yelled.

xoxox xox xoxox

Betty spent a while playing with the pet toys while Maximus watched TV. He still kept an eye on her during the commercials. She had seen her reflection in a mirror at the pet salon and knew Penelope would be jealous if she saw her now. Maybe the plushie would take her back later. He couldn't really be keeping her as a pet, right? He must be kidding. She decided to give it some time and continued playing for a while until she had something to say, "hungry."

"You have food over there," Maximus pointed at a can of pet food, but little Betty didn't move.

"Your evilness I don't think she can get the food out of the can by herself," Minimus reasoned.

"Well don't just stand there, go get a can opener and feed her!" Maximus kicking Minimus out of the room.

"Ow! But I thought you were going to take care of her," Minimus complained. "Just as I thought, I'll end up doing all the work," his angry face complained.

"Hurry!" Maximus yelled.

Minimus ran off in search of a can opener. After he returned and put some pet food in a dish, he waited for Betty to eat it. "She's not eating your evilness."

"I thought you said you were hungry," Maximus recalled. "Well go on Maxine, eat your food."

"Maxine?" Minimus asked.

"That's her name," as usual, Maximus named everything after himself. "That reminds of something," he searched inside the bags until he found her collar and put it around her neck. It had diamonds and a golden tags with something written in symbols used in Lynxia and Splatty.

"Thank-yu plushie," Betty said. Then she curiously looked at the food. It didn't look anything like what she normally ate. She didn't know that in a few years, she would have to get used to the occasional cat food for lunch when her mother was distracted. "Yucky!" Clearly she didn't like the food. Her eyes started to water thinking, that she would have to eat the food she didn't like. Her mother made her eat her cooking even if it didn't turn out very well. But the plushie wouldn't do that, would he? No, he was nice. He even gave her a pretty necklace.

"Now what?" Maximus asked.

"I think she doesn't like it and she's going to cry," Minimus said.

"What? I don't want some crying creature here," Maximus realized that having a pet was a lot more work than he expected. Maybe he wasn't ready for the responsibility. "Maybe I should leave the pet experience for later..." Maybe her food was only found on her planet and that's where she needed to be to survive. "C'mon Maxine, I'm returning you to your wild uncivilized world." Maximus didn't know the name of the planet, but he remembered its location.

Once again he stole his father's ship while Max Sr. yelled at him that he was supposed to stay in his room because he was grounded, but Maximus didn't pay attention.

xoxox xox xoxox

Maximus returned to that place he had almost crashed into. That was where she belonged. "Goodbye Maxine."

"Bye bye plushie, see you again!" Betty waved.

Maximus didn't think he would see her again, but he didn't say anything about that, he was surprised she managed to speak a complete sentence.

Betty was beamed down back into the day care center where she was ignored and Penelope got all the attention, that was why no one noticed she was gone.

It was time to eat and the people in charge of taking care of the children realized there was one missing. "There she is. C'mon little girl time out is over you need to eat now." 'That's odd I don't remember her having such nice hair and such a cute necklace,' the babysitter thought. "Your mommy must be excellent with hair."

As Betty sat at the table all the children looked at her and Penelope looked surprised. That hair! How did she get better hair than hers? She had a necklace too. How could she have better jewelry?

It was Betty's first victory against Penelope and her first trip to outer space. It was the start of a rivalry between Betty and Penelope and it was also the day Betty started to look forward to exploring the universe she only briefly saw. Her grandmother had told her she would take her to far away places when she was old enough; she hoped the time came soon.

When the time came and Betty became a galactic guardian, the events of that day were long forgotten. Betty didn't remember that she had claimed Maximus as her plushie years ago and Maximus didn't remember that he had captured Betty and briefly kept her as a pet before she became galactic guardian. Maybe some things aren't meant to be remembered, but none the less they happened.

End of Solar System VI

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty or Swat Kats. Power, courage and wisdom in Planet 54 is a reference to the Triforce from Legend of Zelda.


	7. Part 7

Atomic Galaxy

Planet 57: Goodbye Smile

Noah's Point of View

When the time comes to say good bye, I want to say good bye with a smile. But how can I possibly smile? If I do, it will be fake, because smiling is the last thing I feel like doing.

Now you're better,  
Now you're free,  
I want me to be,  
Happy for thee.

It was quite unbelievable when she told me the truth, but then she showed me proof. Her alien and robot friends showed me their space ship and took me for a ride around the Earth. She was so exited to be leaving. Just before coming to her house on her request, I was thinking about how hard things would be if everyone I knew moved on with their lives away from mine. I was thinking about how I would miss her if she left for a college away from the one I was going to attend.

I wanted to ask her where she was going with her life, then I could attend that same college and we wouldn't drift apart too much, but this is more than I expected. She's not moving to the other side of the country, she's not moving to the other side of the planet, she's moving out of Earth to live at a space station and pursue her career of Galactic Guardian full time.

But I cannot smile a real smile,  
'Cause I've been missing you all the while,  
Wondering if you're moving away,  
Thinking that you're not the same way.

She's so exited and happy about it, this is her dream, it's what will make her happy. She doesn't appear to be concerned about how busy her schedule will be if she becomes a full time Galactic Guardian. She told me about all the places she would visit, all the people she would help, but I think she is completely missing the fact that she will hardly have any free time at all.

I will try to be happy for her, but I honestly don't think I can. She kept this hidden for so long, I can understand she had to be professional and keep everything in secrecy, yet I feel like slowly she has been becoming someone else. Now eighteen, she's not the girl I once knew. She's been changing slowly, preparing herself to leave the Earth. I didn't want to believe how much she has changed, but I guess I have to face the truth, she feels her place is not on Earth.

Am I the only one to stay?  
Am I the only one who may,  
Forever stay the same way?

It feels like everyone is changing one way or another. Everyone is perusing their dream on Earth or in Betty's case beyond Earth. I feel like I'm being left behind, that everyone changes and evolves, but I don't. I haven't changed much over the years, sure I've grown up and all, but I'm basically still the same person on the inside.

Why do they all move on?  
I don't like what's going on,  
Cannot hear the call from beyond.

Why does she have to leave? I know it sounds selfish, but I wish she could just be happy living here. Why can't she just stay and forget all about space adventures? Why must everything keep becoming more complicated, why can't we just go back to the way things where? Back then when I knew I would see her the next day at school, back then when even if she was constantly late, and now I know why, I knew she would eventually arrive.

I wish I could go with her, but I'm not even going to try, I know I couldn't possibly handle the situations she faces everyday. Maybe I'm not as brave, or smart, or strong, or maybe I was just meant to be one of those humans who lives his entire life on Earth. The truth is space scares me, strange creatures, aliens and what not. I think I was better off thinking humans were alone in the universe.

Nothing special, nothing big,  
I don't really want what they seek,  
I found a place, I won't let it go,  
Your life's a maze, you might not know.

I know I could never get used to life in outer space. It's too unpredictable for me. The truth is I'm happy just living on Earth, appreciating every small detail that this planet has to offer, but that's not enough for her. She'll grow quickly bored if she stays, she has made a choice, she made up her mind and I know that her decision is final. My place is on Earth, I can't follow her anymore, I finally realized that.

If you can find your way around,  
Then I admit you won the round,  
Go to the next step, keep moving on,  
Before you know it I'll be gone.

If this is what makes her happy, then I need to let her go. She deserves to find her happiness and maybe someday I'll find mine. She moved on to a new part of her life. A part that I can tell by the look in her eyes she's been looking forward to for all her life. Who am I to stand in her way? I should have realized we weren't as close friends as I thought.

She has her alien friends now. She doesn't need me around anymore. Then again she never did, I was the one who always needed her help in one way or another. I guess it's time that I grew up and did things by myself. It's time to forget her like I know she'll forget me.

Selfish I shall be no more,  
I won't be waiting at your door,  
And for once I'll smile to thee,  
Just one smile, real as can be.

No, I shouldn't think this way. Even if we never see each other again, even if we never even speak to each other ever again, I will always think of her as I friend. I will not try to stop her and I will not try to forget her. She's my best friend and I will be happy for her. I truly am happy for her. When the time comes to say goodbye, I will say it with a smile, a real smile, the most sincere smile of my life.

End POV

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty. I wrote the poems included in the stories. Most of these stories were written when I had only watched season 1, so the events of season 3 are not taken into consideration. 


	8. Part 8

Planet 58: Mistletoe

Kiss 01: Abundant Mistletoe (MomxDad, BeatrixoxJim, BettyxSparky, IcicleaxSolovem)

Mistletoe can be found where you least expect. They could be hanging from the lamp of a couple's room, even if she was certain that it wasn't there when she fell asleep. "Look mistletoe. I wonder how that got there," her husband said.

"I don't know, but we should honor the tradition," She replied. The kiss was worth his efforts the previous night to put that mistletoe up without waking his wife.

xoxox xox xoxox

Far from there, another couple was up early at a farm. "Bea, do you remember?" Jim held mistletoe above her head.

Beatrixo kissed him. "How could I forget?"

It was the perfect romantic moment in distant planet years ago. They had found a place to be alone in a far away paradise. The view was beautiful, everything was quiet and peaceful and they had each other. It was a very nice planet with its tall trees with those green flowers that were still closed. She had heard the flowers opened at sunrise now she would find out. As the green flowers opened, their leaves began to take a familiar shape. The red berries in the center of the flowers greeted the light of the sun as the leaves continued to change until they were thousands of mistletoes. "Is this way you wanted to come here?" Beatrixo asked.

"I was thinking maybe I could have a kiss under the mistletoe," Jim confessed.

"For every mistletoe on the planet and even more," Beatrixo replied. It was good to remember those times at Christmas. It was even better after that Christmas when they were reunited after so many years.

xoxox xox xoxox

Later, mistletoe was placed above the captain's chair on Betty ship just for her. That way Sparky would have an excuse to kiss her every now and then. Not that he needed one, but it felt more like a Christmas kiss if there was mistletoe involved.

xoxox xox xoxox

Mistletoe can be found anywhere if you want to find them. Even in a castle made of ice, magical mistletoe floats in mid air and below the mistletoe, an ice queen and a dark wizard.

xoxox xox xoxox

There's mistletoe hanging from the ceiling,  
There's mistletoe and there is also singing,  
It's the only green and red in a palace made of ice,  
There's a mistletoe in space, I see it in your eyes,  
There's mistletoe on the door frame, I said,  
Don't look now, it's right above your head.

Kiss 02: Classic Mistletoe (BettyxRodger, DegillxPontifadora)

He had to try one more time, even if deep down he knew his efforts would be in vain. The red haired girl standing in front of him shook her head. "That's not how it works Rodger."

The boy with the blond wig smiled, as if hanging on to one last hope that he would receive the kiss he wanted. "Why not?"

"Because you're not supposed to hold the mistletoe over my head. You're supposed to hang it somewhere and wait until I accidentally walk under it," Betty explained.

Atomic Rodger lowered the mistletoe. His arm was getting tired anyway. He placed it on a tree branch and went to help the other galactic guardian with the headquarter's decorations. The mistletoe slipped from the Christmas tree and fell on the floor. Betty picked it up and placed it on the doorframe instead.

"You should see the tree Admiral Degill has in his office," Rodger returned.

"I will but first, look up," Betty pointed. Rodger looked up and found the mistletoe above his head.

xoxox xox xoxox

Degill stopped at the door as Pontifadora approached. "Did you put that mistletoe there?" Pontifadora looked up at the mistletoe on the doorframe.

"I didn't, but I thought it was very convenient that someone did, so I left it there," Admiral Degill replied. "As the admiral of the galactic guardians, I give you the mission to uphold the law of the mistletoe!"

"I'm not a guardian Gilly, but I guess I could follow the law every now and then." Pontifadora saluted then took Degill into her arms and kissed him.

Kiss 03: Mysterious Mistletoe (Maximusx?)

"You can put the star on it," Maximus handed her the star.

She took the star and smiled, pretending she didn't see the surprised look of the sidekick behind him. Maximus always put the star on the tree himself, while Minimus did the rest of the work. But this year it was a little different, because she was there. This year she helped decorate the Christmas tree and the rest of the lair. Because she was decorating, Maximus also helped.

She stretched, trying to reach the top of the tall Christmas tree. Finally she jumped and put the star on the tree, thought another ornament slipped off, landing softly on her head. Maximus grinned, it was mistletoe.

Planet 59: Brain Killer

"Your brain activity is very irregular," X-5 revealed after examining Betty. She a blank expression on her face, as if her brain had gone missing.

"It's still there?" Betty asked in disbelief.

"What is?" X-5 was a little confused.

"My brain, is it still there?" Her head felt as if it would explode or implode, she wasn't sure what the difference was between the two at the moment. She didn't know much of anything at the time. Every last bit of knowledge had been drained right out of her.

"Yes captain, I am quite certain that it is still there. You can not be functional without it," X-5 assured.

"Chief, what have they done to you?" Sparky looked scared.

Atomic Betty, drained as she was, still had enough common sense to know she should not worry Sparky. She certainly didn't want him to go into a panic, "I'll be okay."

Sparky nodded, not quite convinced with her unenthusiastic sounding answer. He looked so helpless and worried. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'll be okay. It's just that that test killed me dead," Betty used a common expression in her planet.

"What?" Sparky slammed on the brakes of the Starcruiser.

"No, I mean, I'm alive, but it was bad," Betty tried to explain.

"I believe she is referring to an expression not to be taken literally," X-5 clarified.

"Who cares about literature? How can you think of math at a time like this?" Sparky argued.

"Literature is not math," X-5 pointed out.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Betty held her aching head. Yes, they had somehow combined literature with math to crate ultimate evil. Then again, the pure math was more evil. It was more evil than Maximus could ever hope to be. If Minimus ever saw that test, he'd be calling it 'your evilness'. "Please don't say math."

"I won't, chief! I promise!" Sparky left the controls to rush to his 'dying' captain's side in a dramatic way. "From now on I'll call it mango."

Betty only nodded. If it weren't for her futuristic knowledge, she was certain she would have gotten a big fat zero on that test. Were human beings who knew nothing of life beyond their planet actually capable of passing such a test? Her brain felt injured and abused, overheated and on the verge of disintegration. "What was our mission again?"

X-5, who was now piloting the Starcruiser while Sparky bit his gloves as if he was biting his nails and forgot he had gloves, replied, "our mission is to recover a stolen microchip from Maximus."

"Oh, yes," Betty muttered.

"Chief, are you sure you'll recover?" Sparky insisted.

"It's okay, Sparky, I'll be fine. Just continue the mission normally," Betty forced a smile. She was too exhausted to produce a real smile and her brain hurt too much.

Sparky nodded and returned to his seat, which he had to recover from X-5 who wasn't sure he could be trusted with the Starcruiser at the moment.

As they approached the lair, Betty's memories from earlier that day began to surface. The test started early in the morning.

xoxox xox xoxox

'Who invented this word? It doesn't sound like anything,' Betty had wondered upon read or attempting to read an odd, long word. She needed to know what that word meant in order to answer the question. But she didn't know what the question was, let alone the answer. Taking a deep breath she remembered her training: how to decipher alien languages. All species, even humans as random as they were, had some sort of pattern in their written communication. If she could figure out that pattern, she would know what that super long word meant.

'Naruto, I feel your pain!' She suddenly remembered an anime about ninjas. There was an early episode where they had to take a written test. Poor Naruto, he really had a hard time and couldn't answer any of the questions. At least he didn't give up. He panicked, he felt his world crumbling around him but he didn't cheat and he didn't quit.

'I wonder if anyone has tried to commit suicide during a test.' Betty's brain and eyes couldn't take it and she had to look out the window if only for a split second, that was all the time she had to spare. They were on the third floor. She could somehow feel the tension in the room and it made her wonder if someone would attempt to jump out the window.

After two hours and fifty minutes of torture, in which they had to answer two hundred questions, half of which were in English and half in their chosen second language, plus fifty math problems, the students were given a ten minute break. However, they were not allowed to leave the classroom. They just sat there trying to give their injured brains mental first aid.

When the little recess was over, Betty wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the melody of her bracelet and be beamed away into another world, or if she wanted to stay and get the next part of the test over with. If she left, she would have to sign up to retake the test several months later from the beginning. Forget the galaxy! She wasn't going to put up with that torture again. She was more than halfway done. 'Please let the galaxy stay at peace until I'm done,' Betty silently prayed.

Another two hours later, with her empty stomach begging for food and her emptier brain begging for mercy, Betty finished the torturous test and was allowed to leave. 'If I were a light bulb I'd be broken and burned,' she thought as she made her way down the stairs.

She was heading home to take a long nap when her bracelet chimed. In an automatic movement Betty rushed to a private area of the test center and answered the call. "Betty Atomic, duty for report!" She attempted to salute and threw her hand over her head missing her forehead by several inches.

"It seems that the sound system is not working properly. Can you understand me? Tell X-5 to have a look at your bracelet after your mission," Admiral Degill spoke.

Betty tried to get her brain to jump start again. "I will admiral, what's the mission?" She wasn't going to admit that the strange order of words was her fault unless, the admiral asked her directly and she knew he wouldn't.

"Maximus has stolen a microchip with vital military data. You must recover it immediately before he has a chance to decode it," Admiral Degill explained.

"I'm on my way!" Betty was beamed up to the Starcruiser.

xoxox xox xoxox

This brings us back to the present with Atomic Betty, Sparky and X-5 about to arrive at Maximus' lair. Tired, hungry and more mentally exhausted than she had ever been, Betty was in no mood to deal with Maximus. "Beam me down, I'll be right back."

"You're not thinking about going alone, are you chief?" Sparky asked with great concern.

"I'll be alright," Betty assured.

"Until your brain activity is back to normal, I suggest that you do not push yourself," X-5 advised.

"If I'm not back in ten minutes, you can rush in after me." Knowing Betty wasn't going to change her mind, they beamed her to Maximus' lair. She was their captain for a reason, she knew what to do, they just had to trust her.

The few guards spotted her took a fighting position, ready for battle, but Betty ignored them and ran past. They looked at each other confused, wondering why the galactic guardian was doing things so differently from the way she usually did.

Maximus was focused on decoding the microchip's data when Atomic Betty opened the door without making a sound. Minimus noticed her and tried to warm Maximus. "Your evilness Atomic Betty's here. She's standing right in front of us!"

"Shut up Minimus, I told you not to interrupt!" Maximus needed his full concentration. With so many numbers, equations and letters, one hundred percent of his brain was needed to focus on the task at hand.

"But she really is here," Minimus insisted.

"If Betty was here, we would have heard some fighting by now." Maximus didn't look up from the computer screen.

Betty noticed the look Maximus had, he was concentrating very hard. Right now his brain was vulnerable. "Maximus," Betty called softly, just loud enough for him to hear.

Trying to keep all the numbers he was working with in his head so he wouldn't lose important information on the verge of discovery, Maximus looked up. There she was, Atomic Betty.

With a slightly evil looking grin that caught Maximus completely off guard, Betty recited the hardest math problem she could remember from the test.

That threw Maximus over the edge. He sat there staring at her with a blank look. Maybe he was trying to figure out what she said, organizing the data and making calculations in his head. Maybe he was confused wondering why she was telling him all that gibberish. Or maybe the information was just too much for him to take in when his brain was already working so hard.

Smiling in satisfaction, Betty removed the microchip from Maximus computer, the screen going blank. She made it back to the Starcruiser in ten minutes flat.

More to Come...

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty or Naruto. For Planet 58, credits to Barry for the BeaxJim idea in Kiss 01, Kiss 03 is for Julayla. Planet 59 was inspired by a college entry exam made of pure evil, but I still passed with a high score. 


	9. Part 9

Atomic Galaxy

Planet 60: Minions

"Your evilness, wait for me," Minimus struggled to keep up with Maximus, who was leaving in quite a hurry.

It was the middle of the night and the artificial day and night system made that fact apparent, even if they were in space. The light inside the lair didn't look like it came from everywhere and nowhere like it did during the day and it wasn't as bright. Instead it concentrated in one point of origin in the center of the ceiling of each room, leaving the corners in darkness and making the light purposely look artificial.

What possessed Maximus to get up in the middle of the night and prepare to leave in an unplanned extended trip? Minimus did not know and obviously Maximus wasn't telling. He had made that clear when Minimus tried to ask and the lynx hit him on the head without saying a single word.

"Stay here," Maximus ordered suddenly, as he arrived at the lair's hangar and threw a large suitcase inside his ship. He didn't even bother telling Minimus to pack for him or carry his luggage. He was obviously in a big hurry if he did all of that himself.

The sidekick nodded and backed way. He was used to following Maximus everywhere except the bathroom, so it was quite strange that he would leave and not take the sidekick along. Minimus was like his second shadow, but this time Maximus' tone made it clear he wanted to go alone and there would be no arguing about it.

"If anything happens, send the robot army to defend the lair. Other than that, keep a low profile for now and don't get the attention of the galactic guardians while I'm away. Don't call me, don't ask where I'm going or when I'll be back, and my lair better by alright when I return." The platform Maximus stood on was closed and he was alone in his ship.

Minimus backed away, knowing that the ship would soon take off and it wasn't wise to stand so close. Just as he thought, the ship took off in a hurry and sped away into the depths of space.

xoxox xox xoxox

Maximus examined a map of several galaxies as his recent dream replayed in his mind. The dreams he had been having were similar to what happened only a few days ago. Each dream took place on a different setting, but every time the basic story was the same. He had Atomic Betty cornered. He was about to win, but then his army betrayed him. They attacked him instead of Atomic Betty and she claimed victory from where she should have received defeat.

He could simply offer a large amount of money and intergalactic treasures to his ex-minions and they would become his minions again, yet somehow that didn't feel right. He wasn't going to sit there and tolerate being betrayed and laughed at. A bribe wasn't the best solution to this situation, revenge was. Maximus would find a much stronger army and those who betrayed him shall pay. He laughed evilly at the thought of it. Yes, everything would go according to plan.

He chose a galaxy known for its strong warriors as his first destination. He decided he would visit many places accepting as his minions only the best and most skilled of each planet. He parked his ship in an area designated for space ships and went to look around. Everyone there carried a weapon no matter how young or old. They were all skilled warriors, the best in the universe. They were also known for taking orders from no one; however, Maximus thought they should be honored to work for him.

As he made his way around the city, people of different species paid him no mind. It was as if he was invisible to them, almost insignificant, and it was starting to annoy him. "Fight!" He heard someone yell. It wasn't unusual for many fights to form in this planet. Suddenly he was pulled away by a large crowd that didn't appear to notice his existence, as they ran towards where the fight was taking place.

Maximus hated being pushed around and just when he thought he had enough and was about to put his light saber to good use, he noticed he had been pushed towards the front of the circle that formed around the two that were fighting. The battle caught his attention. There was a fox alien and a reptile. The fox looked very confident, maybe too confident, and the crocodile alien looked arrogant. It was as if the reptile was sure he could crush the fox in only few seconds without even trying.

"I'll give you one more chance to take back what you said and beg for mercy. I might not break all your bones if you do," the crocodile alien said.

"You should be the one begging for mercy, you low life lizard. I don't permit for anyone to insult my people or my allies without paying the price!" The fox, a kitsune type alien, didn't look one bit scared.

"You have guts, I'll give you that. Unfortunately your guts will be all over the ground by the time this is over. I'll say it again, all your race the kitsune and your little friends the lynx and tanuki are worthless weaklings!" The reptile repeated.

In a moment of anger, Maximus thought that if the kitsune didn't kick that lizard's tail, he would do it himself. Foxia and Tanukia had been allies of Lynxia and Splatty for a long time. The cat, fox and raccoon aliens had one of the most long lasting alliances in the universe and shared a certain pride.

The crocodile looked like he was about to attack. He raised both hands, formed into fists, but before he could punch the kitsune, he received an accurate kick to the stomach that left him without air. The kitsune kicked the back of his legs in a fast moment, making the reptile fall. "Changed your mind about begging for mercy?"

Maximus wondered how in the world that kitsune had managed to do that. He looked strong, but the reptile was twice as big as him, yet he made him fall so easily. Maybe he had a future minion standing right in front of him right now. Maximus continued watching the battle, just to make sure. If it turned out that the reptile only slipped, then the kitsune was in big trouble. He didn't notice the odd looks he was suddenly getting, as if the fight had gotten the crowd all worked up and they were looking around for a potential punching bag.

"I slipped, don't you dare think that had anything to do with you. You're nothing but a worthless insect! You're-" The crocodile didn't finish, a jump and punch in the neck was all it took to keep him quiet. He coughed and glared at the kitsune.

"Fight first, talk later. It's a common mistake for idiots like you," the kitsune sounded amused. The crocodile roared in anger. Good, the kitsune had him right where he wanted him. If he lost his concentration, he would lose the fight. The crocodile jumped at the kitsune, who ducked at the last moment. The crocodile alien went crashing into a dinosaur-like alien who was quite upset about it. While the crocodile and the dinosaur aliens fought, the kitsune slipped away from the crowd and Maximus followed him. The kitsune saw him and recognized him. "Hey you're Maximus IQ. aren't you?"

"So you know who I am. I must be famous." Maximus feet his ego get bigger by the second.

"Everyone's heard of you and a few other super villains, but the latest news I heard wasn't the best." The kitsune revealed as they walked away from the fight, no one cared to notice, since they were all too focused on the battle.

"What would that be?" Maximus was curious.

"I heard your army turned on you. Is that true?" The kitsune inquired.

"They'll pay for that," Maximus growled. "I'm looking for a new and better army right now. You could be one of my new minions. What's your name?"

"Kentarii, my twin brother Kensamu and I are traveling all over the universe learning many different skills and techniques. I haven't heard from him for a while, but I'm sure he's fine. That's why I can't be your minion, I need to continue my training travels and besides, I kind of like the galactic guardians. Sorry, I'm not much of a villain," the kitsune explained.

"What? You dare to side with the galactic guardians?" Maximus was angry.

"Watch out for the tail!" Kentarii warned.

However, the warning made no sense to Maximus at first. "What?" Then he tripped, but he regained his balance quickly and didn't fall. "Idiot," turned around to see whose tail he tripped over.

It was a tall lizard-like alien with metallic scales that covered his entire body, forming a strong natural armor. He had four arms, a long tail, sharp looking claws and glowing red eyes with a thin yellow line in the middle. "It's that filthy insolent brat from Foxia," He spoke more to the aliens around him than to Kentarii. "This time he brought a little friend from Lynxia."

"I'm from Splatty actually," maybe it was the lack of sleep or the rush of sugar from all the ice-cream Maximus ate to pass the time while he couldn't sleep, but he was talking without thinking about the consequences of his words.

The lizard alien let out a high pitched laugh that made Maximus cover his ears immediately. "So you are as foolish as the Foxia trash?"

"You're the foolish one, Squeaky," Kentarii knew the lizard hated that nickname. "You're looking at a real live super villain right here. You show him who's boss, Maximus!" Kentarii gave Maximus a friendly pat on the back, almost making him fall forward. Maximus looked back and forth from Kentarii to the angry lizard alien the kitsune had nickname Squeaky. Sensing that Maximus wasn't so sure of himself anymore, Kentarii decided to say something before the lizard crushed them both. "C'mon, you looked like you wanted to rip my head off a second ago when I didn't become your minion. If you're brave enough to fight me, I'm sure you can beat Squeaky here, no problem."

"Of course I can! It's just not worth my time. I usually get my minions to do this kind of easy jobs." Maximus would have continued his speech, if not for the fact that a bright light caught his attention. The lizard breathed fire too? He quickly jumped out of the way and Kentarii jumped in the opposite direction.

"Running away, little lynx? You are a total coward. All of your kind are cowards. You're all worthless trash that should be eliminated from this universe!" The lizard would have continued with the insults if not because Maximus made him literally eat laser. With a well aimed shot, the laser hit his open mouth and got him to shut up. Of course, it didn't cause too much damage as it is to be expected from an alien that breaths fire.

"Fight first, talk later is good advice," Kentarii was amused. He knew very well that Maximus' high tech weapons were much more efficient than anything they used on this planet.

"Shut up! I'll deal with you later," the lizard angrily yelled. "As for you, I'll finish you off first. I'm surprised you're still standing there. Your anyone else would have already ran away, but I guess you're more stupid."

"Why should I run away when I'm going to win?" Maximus shot many lasers at the lizard. The lasers bounced off his scales and Maximus quickly jumped out of the way. He was thankful that felines were naturally agile; otherwise he probably would have been killed by his own lasers.

"I don't think you should be playing right now. You do know how to beat him, right? They all have a specific weak point," Kentarii revealed.

"Yes, I know how to beat him, but what is your opinion?" Maximus had no idea how to win this battle. Right now, he thought his best chance would be to run for his life, but he wasn't going to do that. It could be the lack of sleep, the rush of sugar, or something else, but Maximus had enough.

"Actually, I have no idea how to beat this guy. I always run away when I think it's the healthier thing to do. I was hoping you could figure it out so I could do the same thing when ever I found one of those mean aliens in my travels," Kentarii was so calm about it that Maximus thought he was only kidding.

"Sounds good to me, I'll see what I can do," Maximus agreed only because Kentarii's overly calm attitude towards the situation made him think the kitsune had everything under control. If he couldn't figure out a way to beat the lizard, Kentarii would step in at the last moment. Not that Maximus would ever admit to needing help.

Jumping out of the way of the lizard's fire blasts clearly wasn't helping to make any progress, thought it kept Maximus alive. Lasers were out of the question and if lasers didn't work, then a light saber probably wouldn't work either. One detail Maximus noticed was that the laser was more powerful when it came back at him than when he originally fired it and that the scales changed color after receiving the impact. Maybe he could send the lasers back at him before he could recover. Maximus wasn't sure if it would work or not, but he recalled doing something similar in a video game and it worked then.

Kentarii watched as Maximus ran away and stopped at a good distance then fired his laser gun. He wasn't sure what the lynx was trying to do, but it looked as if he had an idea. As it happened before, the lasers bounced back towards Maximus and he used his light saber to send them back at the lizard like a bat. The lizard received the impact being taken by surprise and fell back.

"So that's how it's done," Kentarii observed. Now that he knew how it worked, he would have to come back and kick his tail after he recovered from the fight with Maximus, just to see if he could do it too. Now that Kentarii knew how it worked it didn't look all that hard.

Angry that a lynx had discovered his weakness, the lizard got up as fast as he could and started shooting fireballs at Maximus. Maximus ran in a circle around him avoiding the fire. But the fire hit a few aliens it wasn't meant to hit. Soon, those who were watching the battle became a part of it as they all jumped to the attack against the lizard.

"That's the problem around here, they never let you finish a fight in peace," Kentarii didn't notice the irony in his words.

"It's too bad; because it was kind of fun. So was that what you had in mind?" Maximus asked as they walked away from the action.

"Like I said, I didn't know how to win," Kentarii admitted. At Maximus's surprised look he added, "what is it? Are you wondering why I was so calm even if I could very well be standing in front of my doom? Well if I'm going to die, I might as well be brave about it." Kentarii spoke with such a calm and casual tone that it was beginning to bother Maximus. "This comes from being in near death experiences so often."

"Then you had no idea and if I haven't figured it out then..." Maximus didn't finish, he didn't want to think about it.

"We would have both probably died. Squeaky looked very angry and I'm sure he wouldn't have let us escape, not after I dried his patience the other day," Kentarii admitted.

"Do you always go around picking fights with people bigger than you?" Maximus asked.

"That, my friend, is called being brave," Kentarii smiled.

"That, my minion, is called being suicidal," Maximus corrected.

"I still think it's bravery and I told you I can't be your minion, but I know where you can find some people that might be interested in the job. Last time I was there, they said they wanted to be part of some sort of army, but the galactic guardians had too many regulations for their taste. I'm sure they'll find being part of a super villain's army very interesting." Kentarii revealed, as they walked into the areas where the ships were.

"That sounds like it's worth looking into. What are the coordinates to this place you speak of?" Maximus asked.

"I'll tell you if you give me a lift. My ship was destroyed and I was planning to buy a new one with the money from one of the tournaments they often celebrate in this planet. But it would be a lot easier if you give me a ride since I left my second ship in that planet, then I won't have to buy a new one, I don't like the selection they had here anyway and space taxis don't stop on this planet." Kentarii offered.

"Very well, you have a deal," Maximus agreed and they both headed inside his ship.

xoxox xox xoxox

The trip to this new planet wasn't too long at top speed. They landed near a large mountain. The planet was a little dark, but not too dark. The light of a sun could be seen in the sky, but it wasn't enough to create the bright sunny days of other planets. "We're here. You'll find your possible new army inside the cave, but I should warn you, they won't take anyone's orders," Kentarii warned.

"I'm the great Maximus IQ, they will be honored to work for me!" Maximus replied, as they entered the cave. "How much further are they?" The cave had many torches on the walls, burning with blue fire. It was obvious there were people here, since several items were left all over the place, supplies, weapons and random things.

"Usually I don't have to go too deep into the cave before someone comes to greet me. How strange that we haven't seen anyone yet," Kentarii sounded concerned for the first time. "I have a bad feeling about this, it's too quiet here and usually by now it's possible to hear the echo of Samsumo's bad jokes."

"So you're saying something could have happened to them?" Maximus thought the cave was eerie, but he tried to ignore that fact. It appeared that he would have something more important to worry about anyway. "Aren't they supposed to be expert warriors or something?"

"They are not like the ones we saw on that planet," Kentarii admitted. "They are not as big, but their skill makes them stronger, plus they are all excellent pilots, unlike those idiots who have more chances of crashing than landing."

"Even better, I was going to look for warriors then look for pilots, but if I can find them all in the same place my army will be complete faster. That is unless they already left." Maximus give Kentarii an annoyed glare.

"I somehow doubt it. They wouldn't leave their hide out without taking all this stuff with them." They reached a large cave room with two tunnels. "To the right is the rest of the hide out and to the left is the area where the ships are kept. There's tunnel large enough to get them outside from there, but it's sealed and can only be opened from the inside, which is why we couldn't land in the hangar area. Let's head to the right and see if they're sleeping or something. But it's very unusual for them to go to sleep without leaving a guard," Kentarii's concern increase despite his carefree nature.

Kentarii and Maximus journeyed deeper into the cave. The torches of unnatural blue fire reflected their shadows on the cave walls. It was so quiet you'd think the entire universe had been left without any sound, if only it was this quiet when Maximus wanted it to be quiet. Then again, too much silence could be unsettling.

The east side of the cave appeared to go on forever, with endless maze-like corridors that must have taken many years to form. Up ahead, there was a bright light and the atmosphere felt hot. Approaching the end of the tunnel, Maximus saw that the source of the bright light was the burning lava below the cliff in which he stood. A rope bridge that looked quite unsteady connected the two cliffs together.

He watched as Kentarii continued walking just as he would do if he were stepping on solid ground. A board broke under his feet and he had to hold on to the two ropes on the sides to avoid falling into the deadly boiling lava bellow. As if it never happened, he pulled himself up to the next board on the bridge. This one appeared to be solid in comparison to the last.

Kentarii continued crossing the bridge while Maximus watched from the cliff. As far as Maximus knew, Kentarii wasn't too sane. That or he had an unhealthy obsession with danger, or maybe both.

The kitsune stopped when he was about two thirds to the other side and looked back at Maximus. He smiled amused, seeing that the super villain was still standing there. He waved his hand signaling for Maximus to follow, but the lynx only shook his head, he was not going to step on that rope bridge. The bridge looked as if it was going to collapse any second, yet Kentarii stood on it as if it was a solid a rock. He had almost fallen not too long ago, yet not even that appeared to concern him as much as the silence did.

Maybe this is what people call a true adventurer. He lived to travel all over the universe, having one adventure after the other. Every day he lived it as if it was his last and with this behavior it very well could be. Kentarii crossed his arms and began to tap his foot impatiently, as if he didn't plan to move from where he stood until Maximus began to cross the bridge.

Maximus looked at Kentarii then at the hot lava below. He didn't even get too close to the cliff just in case. He could feel the heat of the lava as if it was inches away, even if it was about fifty feet below the cliff. The lava flowed under the rocks of the cliff and went underground. A few large rocks floated in the river of boiling lava, but that didn't make him feel any better about crossing the bridge. The lava displayed a blend of hot colors. There was red, orange and a little yellow when the fire balls jumped from the lake. Burning rocks and balls of fire came close to reaching the old rope bridge, which would surly be turned to ashes very quickly if it caught on fire.

Maximus wondered if Kentarii would scream at the moment that he fell or laugh because he was about to have the death of a true adventurer. 'Such a fool,' Maximus thought.

"Maximus, I'm waiting," Kentarii finally broke the silence that had been present since before they reached this fiery chamber. "I'm not going to stand here all day," he added with less patience than before.

"Of course you're not going to stand there all day," Maximus replied sarcastically. "That sad excuse for a bridge is going to give out and you'll fall into the lava!"

"No it won't, it's perfectly safe," to prove this, Kentarri jumped three times on the same spot. "You see? It's safe, c'mon let's not stand here all day!"

"I'm not going," Maximus suddenly had a strange feeling, as if there was some one coming up behind him. Kentarii had the strangest smile on his face.

Maximus blinked and looked behind him. There was a kitsune girl with light pink fur and green eyes. "You should tell your friend to get off that bridge. There is another way to cross the cliff. A cave tunnel that leads around it can be found not to far from here. That way is a little bit longer, but I'm certain it's a lot safer."

"There's another way?" Maximus was a little surprised to hear this, but he thought he shouldn't be. "Why didn't you say so, Kentarii? You fool! Must you always do things the hard way? I knew this bridge was a bad idea, that's why I didn't try crossing it. Get back over here before it breaks you idiot. Kentarii? Are you listening?" Maximus didn't quite understand what had gotten into the adventurer. He continued to stand there with the most idiotic look on his face.

The kitsune girl giggled and waved at him. Kentarii waved back and started walking, not watching his steps. It was as if he had no idea where he was anymore. Maximus looked from Kentarii to the girl, back and forth. "Great, two idiots in love. What about my army?"

"Hey, Maxi, aren't you going to tell me who this pretty lady is?" Kentarii's smile couldn't possibly get bigger.

He reminded Maximus of that time when Iciclea still needed the montigo berries to look young and she used so many that her face was stretched into a permanent smile. That gave him nightmares for weeks. "I don't know her," Maximus snapped, but it didn't look like anyone was listening, so much for getting any information about his soon to be army out of Kentarii.

Maximus turned back to the tunnel that led him there. The girl said there was another way across near by, so it shouldn't be too hard to find. He had only walked a few steps when he heard Kentarii yell, "medusa!"

Maximus looked back for a moment and saw the shadow of someone coming. The head of this person had long things that moved around. Snakes? He knew the way to defeat a medusa was to make her look at her own reflection, but he didn't have a mirror so he ran as fast as he could. Of all the days to forget to bring a mirror despite being a narcissist, why did it have to be today? Maybe there was a mirror in this cave or another exit. Which ever he found first would do.

Maximus turned a corner and looked back. Since he just turned and he couldn't hear the medusa too close by, if she was still chasing him he would see her shadow before he saw her. As long as he didn't look at her, he wouldn't turn to stone. He was in such a hurry he ran into someone. He immediately closed his eyes just in case the medusa had taken a shortcut and came up in front of him.

"Are you alright?" The voice belonged to a woman, but he wasn't certain if she was the medusa or not. It's not like he could run around with his eyes closed. The floor of the cave was irregular with many stones. He would trip and fall a million times if he didn't watch where he was going.

Maximus looked at the ground and slowly opened his eyes. She was standing right in front of him. He looked forward a little bit. He would be alright as long as he didn't look at her head. Then he saw two feet and the end of a golden tail beside them. This was not the medusa. Maximus breathed relieved and looked at the person in front of him. She was a lynx girl with golden fur and bright blue eyes. "You look like you saw a ghost."

"A medusa," Maximus explained.

"You saw a medusa? But how can that be? If you saw a medusa then you would be a stone statue by now," The lynx girl replied.

"I didn't see her. Someone else saw her. I heard him and when I looked back I saw her shadow. She was following me," Maximus looked back at the way he came but there was no one there.

"It appears that you lost her," the lynx girl spoke. "But if she's still here I think we should leave. There's a village not too far from here. Near the village there is a magic potion shop where you can find a cure for those who had been turned to stone. I'm sure your friend you say saw the medusa will recover with that."

"Do you know the way out?" Maximus asked.

"Yes, I'll show you the way I came. By the way my name is Yudisha, what's yours?" She asked sweetly.

"Maximus," he followed her around the cave.

"It's nice to meet you," she gave him a friendly smile which hid an evil grin. 'Foolish mortal I like to play around with my victims a little before turning them to stone. Your stupid friend looked like such an idiot I had to eliminate him quickly. But maybe you're not so smart either after all,' Yudisha thought.

"It's nice to meet you too," Maximus gave her the best fake smile he could manage. 'I'll play along for now until I find a mirror. Stupid Medusa, she changed her appearance but she still has that bracelet,' Maximus thought. He remembered that the shadow of the medusa had many snakes, but one was shorter than the others, as if it was cut off. Maximus had heard something about it before, if a medusa could remove one of her snakes, make it bite its tail then turn it into stone, she could wear it as a bracelet or necklace and be immune to her own reflection, that must be what gave her the advantage, not many knew of that legend. Now all he needed to do was get that bracelet off her and find a mirror.

The next area of the cave was very dark. There were no blue fire torches, but Maximus could still see well enough. He saw what appeared to be a platform for a large torch. Another thing he noticed was water on the floor possibly, from a river or lake that passed above the cave in the surface.

"It's so dark in here," Yudisha sounded a bit frightened, but it was all an act.

'She may look like a lynx but she's not a true shape shifter,' Maximus thought. Clearly she couldn't see in the darkness as well as a real lynx could. "I'll hold your hand so you don't trip on anything."

"That would be nice thank you," Yudisha agreed.

Maximus took her hand and quickly pulled off the snake bracelet. He tossed a little Maximus shaped lighter at the large torch then threw the bracelet into the fire and closed his eyes.

"You knew all along didn't you?" Yudisha yelled angrily as she changed back into her true form. Maximus backed away and tripped, falling on the floor. Yudisha was forced to look down in order to look directly at him and saw her reflection on the water.

Maximus stayed perfectly still with his eyes closed. Everything was quiet, but for all his knew the medusa could be staring at him right now, waiting for him to open his eyes. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He didn't feel like there was danger anymore.

It was as if he could sense he was safe now, but just to be sure he reached forward and touched cold stone. He opened his eyes to find the ugliest statue he had even seen in his life. He quickly moved away from the petrified creature. She may not be able to turn anyone to stone while she was a stone statue herself, but she was still something right out of a nightmare.

Maximus noticed that behind the large torch there was another cave. He walked to the end of that tunnel and found hundreds of stone statues. So that's where Kentarii's friends were. The stone that covered them began to break and they started to return to normal. Apparently turning the medusa into stone was enough to get them back to normal.

Kentarii soon returned, a little upset that he had fallen for the medusa's trick, women were his weakness. Of course Maximus didn't mean to do something good. He had to defeat the medusa, otherwise he would be a tone statue and stone was not worthy of him. If he had to be a statue, he would be a golden statue.

Tired from all that happened, Maximus decided to return to the lair along with his new minions. Kentarri's friends decided to follow Maximus after recognizing him as the one who freed them of the medusa's curse. He knew his past minions wouldn't like how quickly he replaced them and would probably come back, so his army would be twice as big. Though Kentarii continued his travels, he would sometimes come by to see how everyone was doing and was willing to go on a few secret missions for Maximus.

End of Planet 60

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty. Planet 60 is based on the episode "Bracelet Yourself" and on a review from Christine. 


	10. Part 10

Atomic Galaxy

Planet 61: Kissed by the Sun

Iciclea sat under a large umbrella at the beach. All the super villains were there that day. Nuclea came by and sat next to her. Iciclea gave her a deadly glare. "What? Can't I sit under your umbrella for a while? When Solovem comes back I'll go away. I'm not here to be the third wheel," the sunburned electric alien assured.

"It's not that. It's just that you're sunburned," Iciclea was jealous.

"It's not contagious," Nuclea rolled her eyes.

"I wish it was," Iciclea bitterly admitted.

The confession caused Nuclea to give her a strange look. "You're kidding, right? You actually want to have sunburn?"

"Yes! I would look beautiful with sun kissed skin, but I can't even do as much as tan, let alone get sunburn. I'll melt before I get burned and when I turn solid again, I won't have any sunburn, not even a light tan." Iciclea sighed sadly and looked around the beach.

Chameleon had turned into an alien dolphin and was jumping around in the water. Infantor was making a sand castle. Enormo was buried in the sand up to his neck; Infantor buried him before going off to build a sand castle. Bernadette was cooking barbecue. Narcissitad was getting a tan. Pontifadora was swimming. Dr. Cerebral's brain was over heating because of the effect the sun had on the glass. Minimus was playing with a beach ball with some other sidekicks and rookie villains. Maximus had fallen asleep on the beach.

Iciclea directed a deadly glare at the sleeping lynx. "Look at him, frying in the sun without a care in the world!"

"That's gonna hurt when he wakes up, but I least I'll know someone has sunburn worse than mine," Nuclea laughed.

"Sure, rub it in," Iciclea grumbled.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, Atomic Betty, Sparky and X-5 had gone to make sure the super villains were only having a beach day and weren't causing trouble. "I want to go surfing and build and sand castles and play ball and have lots of beach food!" Sparky cheered.

"Sparky, why are you carrying all those beach? I must remind you that this is a mission, not a vacation." X-5 had his cooling system activated at maximum capacity to keep the metal cool under the hot beach sun.

"Aw c'mon X-5, have some fun once in a while!" Sparky gave the robot a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Yeouch, you're frozen!"

"I don't want to overheat," X-5 informed.

"Good, hold on to this," Sparky handed him a cooler full of drinks.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" X-5 asked.

"Keep the drinks cool," Sparky smiling.

X-5 was not amused. "Stop this nonsense at once and put all these things back in the Starcruiser!"

"He's got a point Sparky we're here on a mission. Let's put all this things back in the Starcruiser and if we finish early, then we can hang out at the beach for a while," Betty offered.

"I still don't understand what's so fun about this place. This is boring and pointless." X-5 went silent as he saw someone familiar. It was that princess that they helped cross the dessert.

The royal couple was at the beach with their robot. Despite the villains being in the same beach, they didn't seem to mind since they weren't bothering each other. The robot girl recognized X-5 and went to talk to him.

Sparky pointed at X-5, who was walking, or floating, along the beach talking to the other robot. "I guess he doesn't think the beach is boring and pointless after all."

"Let's go see what the super villains are doing. If they haven't kicked everyone who's not a villain out of the beach yet, then maybe they're not going to cause any trouble today," Betty concluded.

As they approached the area of the beach where the villains were, Sparky smelled something. "Chief it smells like fried lynx. There must be cannibals in this beach! What if that poor lynx they caught doesn't fill them up and they come after us?"

"Sparky, look over there," Betty pointed at Maximus, who was still asleep.

"So that's what it was," Sparky grimaced, "that's gonna hurt when he wakes up."

Betty nodded in agreement, "he'll probably take it out on Minimus."

As they continued walking Sparky's nose caught another sent, but this time Betty smelled it too. "Barbecue!" Sparky cheered.

"I think chef Bernadette is cooking for the villains," Betty pointed.

"But I'm hungry!" Sparky rushed over to Bernadette, looking hungrily at the burgers. "Can I have one?"

"No," Bernadette replied.

"Can I have one of those then?" Sparky pointed at a hotdog.

"This food is for the villains," Bernadette warned.

"But I'm hungry!" Sparky complained.

"Fine, I'll let you have one burger and one hotdog; then you have to stop bothering me!" The chef could not work with such an annoyance.

After Sparky ate, he continued complaining that he was hungry, but Betty dragged him. "Ley's go Sparky. If you eat the villain's food they might get angry and blow up this planet or something."

They continued seeing what each villain was doing. Chameleon was still playing in the water as an alien dolphin. Dr. Cerebral had a little umbrella hat now and was looking at some sea shells. Infantor was standing near the ocean going in and out of the water and splashing around in the low tide. He was had big orange floaters on his arms and legs, and a large matching lifesaver. Enormo was no where to be found. Narcissitad was putting on more suntan lotion. Pontifadora was surfing and Nuclea had joined the other villains in a game of beach valley ball.

Iciclea was sitting under an umbrella looking bored and angry. This caught Betty's attention, because it looked like the ice queen was the only one was wasn't enjoying her time at the beach. "What's wrong?" Betty asked curiously.

"I want to get sunburned but I'll melt instead," Iciclea complained.

This was the first time Betty had heard of anyone who actually wanted to get sunburn. "But sunburn is no fun, it's painful!"

"How would you know?" Iciclea continued getting jealous.

"I know because I've had it and trust me, it's not good," Betty assured.

"It's not fair! Everyone good and evil can have sunburn except me!" Iciclea snapped. "Everyone can enjoy their time at the beach and have sometime to show for it the next day, but I can't! Why doesn't my skin glow with the beautiful light of the sun?"

"I guess sometimes those who have something don't want it and those who want it don't have it." Betty thought it was ironic in a weird way. "Maybe you can do other things besides getting sunburned."

"It's no use, all I really want to do today is get sunburned," Iciclea frowned.

Needless to say, Betty would never understand her logic. Seeing that there was no danger, Betty returned to the Starcruiser to change out of her galactic guardian uniform and enjoy the rest of the day on the beach. It didn't look like anyone was bothered by her precense anyway, as if there was an unspoken truce.

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A little later, Solovem finally returned to Iciclea. "I have it, the magic sunscreen you wanted!"

Iciclea saw a ray of hope. If this magical sunscreen worked, maybe she could get sunburned without melting. She tried it on and stayed in the sun all day without melting. However, she didn't get sunburned. "I'm not sunburned."

"No, not one bit," Solovem smiled.

Iciclea glared, "I wanted to get sunburned!"

Solovem blinked confused. "I thought you were being sarcastic and meant you didn't want to get sunburned. I mean who would want to? I thought you only wanted to make sure you didn't melt."

"Meow!" The tide had gone up enough to reach Maximus and the water woke him up. "Ow, ouch, sunburn, oooooh! Minimus why didn't you wake me up?" It looked like it hurt.

"You know what?" Iciclea came to a realization after witnessing Maximus' unfortunate fate. "I changed my mind, sunburn looks painful, I don't want it anymore."

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Planet 62: Intergalactic Delivery

It was a sunny day in Moose Jaw Heights and today the students of Betty's school were going to audition for the annual play. As they entered the drama classroom, they heard a very familiar laugh. "I hope you're not thinking about auditioning," Penelope was followed by Sarah and Megan, one standing at each side. "You have no chance, unless of course they decide to make it a horror story," Penelope laughed at her own sarcasm.

Betty stood up to the challenge like she always did. "We'll see about that Penelope," she was determined to earn a role on the play.

"So you're actually auditioning? Oh good, I get to see you make a total fool of yourself in front of everyone, I can't wait!" Penelope left with her usual mocking laugh, followed by Sarah and Megan.

"We'll see who's the fool," Betty approached the table with the lists where the students signed and wrote what role they wanted try out for. There was one list for each character on the play. Betty wrote name under Penelope's in the list to audition for the role of the princess. She thought it was a boring role, but she wanted to spare the audience of having to watch Penelope on stage. Then she handed the pen to Noah, who happened to be passing by at the very moment.

"Oh no Betty, I'm not good at standing in front of people," Noah preferred to watch plays, not be in them.

"C'mon Noah, it'll be fun." Most of the time, Betty was the one who convinced him to participate in the school's events.

"I doubt I'll be chosen for any role."

"The important thing is that you tried out and did your best."

Noah wished he had her confidence, "I guess so." 'Here I go again,' he thought, 'letting Betty get me into what could turn out to be another mess.' Noah picked a list and wrote his name on it.

As Noah finished writing his name, Paloma arrived, "hi."

"Hey Paloma, are you going to try out for the school play too?" Betty asked.

"I think I'll try it out, it must be fun to be up on stage." Paloma looked over the lists and chose one, then wrote her name on it. The students were given a copy of the script the week before and the auditions were to take place later on that day.

As it tends to happen, Betty's bracelet suddenly beeped. "I left my copy of the script in my locker. I'll go get it," Betty, as always, rushed off to answer the call from the Galactic Guardians.

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Once out in the hall, Betty looked around to make sure no one was coming and activated her bracelet. "Atomic Betty reporting for duty!"

"Atomic Betty," the hologram of Admiral Degill was projected from the bracelet. "I have a very important mission for you. The wedding of princess Peachream and prince Jurio of the Mushpipe Galaxy is close to taking place. However, before that can happen, certain items need to be safely delivered. You must transport each of those items from the palace to certain people across the galaxy, then return to the palace. The future peace of the galaxy depends on you!"

"I won't let you down admiral!"

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Betty was beamed up to the Starcruiser and took her usual seat at the captain's chair.

"What kind of food do you think they'll have at the Mushpipe party?" They weren't even at the palace yet and Sparky's mouth was already watering.

"We're here on a mission Sparky, you can't be distracted by food," Betty reminded him.

"He always thinks with his stomach," X-5 commented.

"You don't know what you're missing because you a robot!" Sparky showed X-5 his tongue then hurried to the Mushpipe Galaxy at full speed.

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Upon arriving at the Mushpipe palace, Betty, Sparky and X-5 found that everyone there was quite busy. Finally, someone noticed their presence. "You're the galactic guardians here to help us aren't you? Come this way please." The alien guard looked a little like a human but had an odd looking hat, which was actually part of his head, shaped like a big mushroom. They followed him into a secret passage that appeared when he shook hands with what looked like an ordinary statue of the king.

After going down some stairs, they arrived at a large room with many safes. "This is where the royal family's most valuable treasures are kept. Only the most trusted servants know the combination to open these. Now please look away for a moment."

Betty, Sparky and X-5 did as they were asked.

"Okay, you can look now." One of the safes was opened and from inside the guard took a box. He opened it, revealing a pair of glass slippers. "The princess must wear these slippers on her wedding. The problem is that, as you can see, they are broken."

The slippers had small cracks in the glass, but still somehow held together. "They are magical so they're not as fragile as they look, but they are very old and the magic protecting the glass is starting to fade away. Please take these to the wizard shoe maker and he will repair them. You will find him in planet Mortavio. Even if he lives there, he's a good wizard so you shouldn't have any trouble." The guard closed the box and handed it to Betty. "There are other items that must also be delivered, but those need to be collected outside of the palace. I will tell you were to find them after you bring back the slippers." He then gave them directions to find the wizard shoe maker's house.

"Isn't it faster if I get all the items on the way?" Atomic Betty asked.

"I'm afraid that's not possible. Only the princess is allowed to hold more than one of the royal family's treasures at the same time," the guard explained. "We normally don't hand these to anyone from outside of this galaxy, but we're making an exception this time because you are Atomic Betty and everyone knows you."

Sometimes Betty forgot just how famous she became, but after that time Maximus disguised himself as El Gato and tricked her, she promised not to let it go to her head, "I understand."

"What about me?" Sparky asked, "you must have heard about me too!"

"Sparky, we have to go," Betty dragged him away, they had a mission to fulfill.

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Betty, Sparky and X-5 traveled to planet Mortavio where they hoped to find the wizard shoe maker. They followed the directions they were given and as they walked, Sparky sang. "We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of shoes!" He stopped singing when he saw the house. "What a dump!"

"There is a 97.4% chance that someone broke into the shoe wizard's house recently," X-5 calculated.

"Maybe he just doesn't like to clean up," Sparky took a look inside since the door was left open.

"I doubt anyone is as unorganized as you are," X-5 replied, he and Betty went inside as well. The house was a mess with broken shoes of all kinds all over the floor.

"Who's unorganized? I'm very organized. I cleaned up my room every three years!" Sparky defended.

"That's more often than I thought," X-5 retorted.

"I found something," Betty picked up a note. "It says, 'to whom it may concern, let this be an example of what happens to good wizards on Mortavio,' and it's signed by Solovem!"

"Poor shoe wizard. He didn't deserve to be captured by Solovem even if he never cleans his house," Sparky frowned.

"We need to save him!" Atomic Betty squeezed the note in her hand.

"Good thing I kept this," X-5 handed Betty a wand to put on her bracelet like she had that time King R-turmex was kidnapped.

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Disguised as wizards, Betty, Sparky and X-5 headed to Solovem's castle. They made it past the guards and overheard something about a good shoe wizard being kept in the dungeon. So far so good, they slipped past the dungeon guards and found the shoe wizard.

The entire dungeon was full of shoes of all styles, colors and sizes. "Hey Mr. Shoe Wizard," Sparky whispered. "We're here to save you!"

"Save me? I'm the one who needs to save everyone in this castle! Did you see their shoes? Maybe that's why they wear long robes, cloaks and capes, because they need to hide their horrible shoes!" The wizard shoe maker was horrified.

Betty unlocked the cell with the wand on her bracelet. "We need to get out of here before we're discovered."

"Too late for that!" They turned around to find that Solovem had teleported right behind them. "You'll never get away with the shoe maker!" Solovem shot fire magic at them, which Betty blocked with a shield created by her bracelet's wand.

"Maybe I can give you a hand, or shoe," the shoe wizard used his magic to trap Solovem inside a giant shoe. They ran past him as the shoe wizard continued trapping all the guards inside shoes.

Of course the giant shoe wasn't going to hold Solovem for too long. He broke free from the shoe and chased them, creating all sort of magical creatures to go after them. "There is a 0.08% change that we will reach the ship before Solovem and his highly evolved creatures disintegrate us," X-5 calculated.

"Highly evolved? Don't you mean magical?" Sparky asked.

"There is no such thing as magic," X-5 insisted.

"I'll help, put these on and we'll fly out of here," the wizard shoe maker gave them each a pair of sandals with wings.

"But I don't even have feet," X-5 reminded.

"You do now," Sparky pointed at the robot's newly 'evolved' feet.

They all flew out a window with Solovem chasing them. "He's catching up!" Betty looked at their pursuer.

"Maybe some more shoes will distract him long enough," at the shoe wizard's command, it started to rain shoes all over Mortavio. A large shoe fell on Solovem and kept him strapped long enough for them to land and go inside the Starcruiser. They took off at full speed immediately.

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Betty, Sparky, X-5 and the wizard shoe maker were in space, traveling in the Starcruiser. After X-5 took off the winged sandals, his robotic feet disappeared and he was back to normal.

"That was fun, but I will have to return to Mortavio later. The shoes need me!" The shoe wizard decided.

"Why would you make shoes for the villains? I thought you were a good wizard," Atomic Betty asked.

"I am, but I make shoes for whoever needs them. I'm the one who made Maximus IQ's very cool shoes. I also have an order for three pairs of shoes for Atomic Rodger." The wizard showed them a sample of Rodger's shoes. They were red and white with a little yellow decoration at the end that looked like his wig. The shoes then disappeared as mysteriously as they appeared. "Would you like a pair of shoes?"

"Actually, we need to have some shoes repaired," Betty showed him the glass slippers.

"This should be easy," in a few seconds, the glass slippers were as good as new. "I added some magic to make them more resistant. Those won't need another repair for at least a thousand years." After his job was done, the shoe wizard left the Starcruiser, surrounded himself in a magical bubble, and returned to Mortavio pushing the bubble from inside with a pair of winged sandals to propel himself.

"That wasn't too hard," Betty watched as the wizard disappeared in the distance of space.

"Aw, he left so quickly, I wanted him to make some cool shoes for me," Sparky complained.

"This is no time to think about shoes, the mission isn't over yet," X-5 reminded.

"Right, we need to return to the palace and learn about the other items," Betty agreed.

"Do you think they'll have a snack ready for us? I'm starving!" Sparky was eating some caramel covered slog worms.

"How could you starve while eating? It is illogical," X-5 reasoned.

"It is illogical," Sparky mocked, "so what? Your growing feet and ungrowing them is illogical too and it happened!"

"That was evolution," X-5 insisted.

"But you're a robot!" Sparky argued.

"It's technological evolution!" X-5 reasoned.

"That's enough you two! I need to get back to Earth on time for the auditions so we can't waste any time," Betty ended the argument.

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After returning the glass slippers to the palace, Atomic Betty, Sparky and X-5 met princess Peachream herself. She was of the same species as the guard with a pink spotted mushroom on her head and blond hair growing out under it. "I thank you for repairing my glass slippers, galactic guardians. But there are other things that I need before the wedding can take place."

"Don't you worry," Sparky assured. "The universally famous Sparky will find all the items that are needed. You have heard of me, right your highness?"

"Of course I have. You were in that movie where you fell into the black hole at the end," Peachream recalled.

Sparky was pleasantly surprised to know a princess actually watched his movie. "You watched it? You really watched it?"

"Oh yes, I liked that movie very much, but I have to say Maximus needs acting lessons. He didn't sound evil at all, which is quite odd since he actually is a super villain. But you were very heroic in that movie Sparky, so that makes up for it," Peachream smiled.

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Meanwhile far away, Maximus sneezed. "Did you catch a cold your evilness?" Minimus asked.

"I don't think so, but if I did I'm blaming you for it!" Maximus answered.

"Why?" Minimus already got blamed for many things that were not his fault, but getting blamed for a cold that had nothing to do with him was too much.

"Because I can!" Maximus hit Minimus on the head, making his head spin, then returned to his reading, while Minimus mumbled something inaudible and returned to cleaning the lair. On the cover of the book the titled was 'How to take over the universe world in five easy steps.'

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At the Mushpipe galaxy, Betty thought it was time to remind the princess of the situation, or she would continue discussing movies with Sparky for who knows how long. "Princess about the mission..."

"Oh yes, the next item I need is new bouquet of roses from planet Flora. You will find the roses in the indoor garden in the highest room of the tallest tower, in a castle guarded by a fire breathing dragon, in the middle of a boiling lake of lava. You must be very careful not to touch the thorns or the rose's magic will turn you into a beast." Peachream calmly explained.

"Isn't that a little dangerous?" Betty asked.

"Don't worry, the thorns will be removed by experts before the wedding," Peachream assured.

"Alright, we'll bring the roses. We'll be back soon your highness," Betty replied.

"May you have a safe journey, galactic guardians," Peachream saw them off.

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Once in the Starcruiser heading for their destination, Sparky voiced his concern, "chief, I'm really hungry and ran out of snacks. I was so exited about a princess watching my movie, that I didn't even remember to ask for food in the palace. Can we stop and get something to eat?"

"We're a mission, Sparky. We need to find all the items the princess needs. Besides, I need to return to Earth on time for the auditions, so there's not much time," Betty tried to explain.

"But chief I'm hungry! I'm so hungry I smell cookies," Sparky took a deep breath, even in space his nose could smell food near by. "I really do smell cookies!" Just ahead lived a little old lady and her pet dragon Theodore, they soon received a call from her and went to see what she needed.

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When the Starcruiser landed Sparky was the first to jump out. "How nice of you to stop by, would you like some cookies?" the old lady asked.

"Yes!" Sparky cheered.

"Do you need help with anything?" Atomic Betty asked.

"Yes, I do need a little help. I'm feeling kind of tired today and Theodore needs to take a walk." Sitting beside the old lady, was her pet dragon, looking sad while wagging his tail.

"I guess I could take him along," Betty agreed. After somehow getting Theodore inside the Starcruiser Atomic Betty, Sparky and X-5 continued on their journey to find the roses.

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The castle was easy to find, since it would be hard to miss the big lake of boiling lava. Once inside the castle, Betty, Sparky, X-5 and Theodore started searching for the stairs or elevator, which led to the highest room in the tallest tower. So far there had been no sign of the dragon.

The tallest tower where the roses were, was too small for Theodore to enter. The dragon was a little frightened by the eerie looking castle, so Sparky and X-5 stayed with him, while Atomic Betty went to find the roses.

The room at the top of the tower was quite dark, but the magic roses had a light glow around them. Each rose was encased in glass. Betty lifted the glass covering them and carefully took the roses without touching the thorns. That's when she heard Sparky yell "dragon!" and she rushed down the stairs.

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Meanwhile in another planet, Maximus and Minimus were walking around a museum as any other tourist would. "There's no work today, I'll just relax and enjoy my day off." Maximus had finished reading his book and the five steps to taking over the universe were: device an evil plan, eliminate those who stand in your way, implement the evil plan, rule the universe and number five was an optional step. If steps one through four were not successfully accomplished, the final step was to take a break and try again later from step one.

"No work for you, but what about me?" Minimus' angry face complained. He had the task of carrying Maximus' souvenirs, which he would probably never use anyway and would sit in a corner of the lair collecting dust, if not in the bottom of a closet. Then Minimus would have to clean them, along with the many other useless things Maximus bought on this day off.

"Shut up and take a picture!" Maximus stood in front of a statue.

Minimus set bags full of souvenirs on the floor and prepared to take the picture. "A little more to the left, your evilness," Maximus moved to his left instead of Minimus' left. "I mean your other left," the sidekick clarified.

Maximus moved again and watched as Minimus prepared to take the picture. "What are you doing?"

"Taking a picture of the statue like you said, your evilness," Minimus answered.

"Not the statue!" Maximus yelled. "I want a picture of me, who cares about some statue? It's not even a statue of me!" Just as Minimus was about to take the picture, Maximus received a call from his lair and answered it. The hologram of a guard informing him of the latest news came out as blur of light on the picture. "Minimus! You should have waited!" Maximus kicked his sidekick. "This better be important news for ruining my picture!"

"You told us to call if we saw Atomic Betty," the guard in the hologram reminded.

"You captured Atomic Betty?" Maximus asked.

"No, we saw her ship pass by," the guard answered. "Were we supposed to do anything besides calling you?"

"Idiot! You' let her go? I'm returning to the lair and you better find out what she's doing before I arrive," Maximus yelled.

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On planet Flora, Betty, Sparky and X-5 were having a little trouble fighting the dragon to escape from the castle with the roses. She was of the same species as Theodore, but he looked like a harmless kitten if compared to her fighting skills. "We can't die now, that lady said she would give me more cookies when we return Theodore!" Sparky cried.

"Don't worry we'll get out of this," Atomic Betty reassured.

Theodore, who had been hiding since he heard the other dragon coming, came out to defend his friends. But what luck did they have that the dragon girl fell in love with him. It looked like it was love as first sight for the dragon and she was a lot nicer now. It seemed that all along Theodore wasn't scared, he was just being shy.

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The group returned with Theodore, as well as the dragon girl, and the old lady was happy to take care of both dragons. So far, two missions had been accomplished, Sparky got more cookies and everything appeared to be going well.

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"Look, there's Atomic Betty again!" One of Maximus' guards at the lair called out, seeing her ship fly by. "I'll see what she's doing," he sent a transmission to the Starcruiser and asked.

"We're on a mission and I won't let you stop us!" Atomic Betty replied.

"I'm not calling stop you, I just need to know what you're doing. That was Maximus' order," he took notes. "What kind of mission is this?"

"We're making an intergalactic delivery of lots of valuable items for the Mushpipe galaxy!" Sparky answered.

"Sparky, no!" It was already too late for Betty to stop.

"This highly increases our chances of having Maximus interfere with the mission in the near future," X-5 pointed out.

"But he said he wouldn't try to stop us!" Sparky argued.

"Never mind, we'll just have to hurry," Atomic Betty said.

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The three galactic guardians returned to the Mushpipe palace once again. "Oh, how wonderful, I already have two of the four items I need," Peachream cheered. "The next item is kept right here in the palace. It is a sapphire crown, made especially for my wedding."

"Then recovering it should be easy right?" Sparky asked.

"Oh no, it might be a challenge because of all the traps that were set to keep it safe. The problem is there is no way to disable the traps, so you must get past the obstacle course. But I'm sure it won't be too hard for a galactic guardian. Another important detail is that only one person may enter the crown's safe at a time, otherwise the lasers will be activate and no one can avoid a rain of lasers like that, plus the room will be filled with poisonous gas," Peachream explained.

"I'll go," Betty offered.

"I wish you good luck, may you accomplish your mission safely. Please join us at our tea party when you return," Peachream smiled cheerfully and calmly.

"Tea party? Hurry back chief!" Sparky cheered.

"I'll be back as soon as I can,"thus Betty was off to face the obstacles of the crown's safe.

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After she entered the large safe, Betty found a boiling lake of lava. "Boiling lava, how predictable." She jumped from one stone to another, until she made it to the other side. "That wasn't so bad." Just when she thought she was standing on solid ground, the entire obstacle course began to sink into the lava and Betty hurried to climb a stone wall. Once at the top she had bought some time, but the structure continued to sink. There was no only an obstacle course, but also a time limit to clear it.

Next up she saw a large hoop around a metal pole that went down to the next area. "All that climbing and I end up going down." There was no time to give it much thought or the entire place would sink. Betty swung down on the hoop and landed in the platform bellow. Then it was time to climb up a log that kept spinning from side to side. She almost slipped at the end, but managed to hold on.

"That was close, I better be extra careful." The next part was rather easy, going up several ladders and jumping from one to the other. Of course, the challenging and slippery parts were to come. Staying on top of a giant stone boulder, while rolling it across the lava before it melted, was not an easy task.

After climbing another cliff, Betty found herself staring at a rope that appeared to have no end. She started climbing. Suddenly the lava started coming up faster. That's when she realized that the structure wasn't sinking at all, it was the level of the lava that was going up. The end of the rope caught on fire and was burning fast. Even if the lava didn't reach her, if the fire did, she would fall. "I should have borrowed Sparky's jet pack." It was too late for extra preparations, so Betty just tried to climb as fast as she could.

Finally, Betty reached the top without a second to spare. It seemed the lava stopped rising, but the entrance was blocked, so she couldn't leave the way she came. The crown was easy to find, but solving the puzzle code on the small glass safe was a time consuming task and her team begun to worry.

"How do I get back?" Betty saw no other way out than the way she came. That is until she noticed an air conditioner vent on the roof and climbed out that way.

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After a lot of crawling through the air conditioner tunnels, she made it to the room where princess Peachream, Sparky and X-5 were waiting.

"I'm worried about the chief, she's taking a long time to get back," Sparky said.

"If I had more information about the obstacles the captain must face, I could calculate the estimated time she needs to return with the crown," X-5 replied.

"She is the famous Atomic Betty, I'm sure she'll drop in on us any time," as Peachream said this, Atomic Betty literally dropped in.

"I found another way out of the safe," it would have been good for Betty to know about this before she took the long way to the crown.

The princess stared up at the open air conditioner vent. "There was a security flaw like that?"

"Fortunately the sapphire crown was still there," Betty presented the item.

"Wonderful!" Peachream was very pleased. "Then we can proceed with the wedding as soon as the preparations are complete. For now, join me for ice tea and cookies!"

"Ice tea and cookies, yay!" Sparky was certainly happy about it.

"Princess, wasn't there another item you needed?" Atomic Betty asked.

"Yes, but I haven't decided about that yet. I'll think of something while we have the tea party," Peachream replied.

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A short while later, the tea party was interrupted when a palace guard came to inform them that the castle was under attack and Maximus had been spotted near by. The galactic guardian went to see what was going on in the main hall and they found large beasts trashing about in the palace, attacking anyone and anything they saw.

"Maximus, I should have know you'd come to cause trouble!" Betty accused.

Maximus looked confused. "They're not with me, I was going to track you down and attack, but then received a call saying that I was invited to a wedding so I postponed the attack."

"You're here as a guest?" Atomic Betty asked in surprise and Maximus nodded.

"Oh yes, I want all the actors from my favorite movie to attend, all of you are also invited of course." Peachream still sounded calm and happy regardless of the fact hat her palace was under attack.

"Then who is attacked?" Betty asked.

A voice was heard, "over here galactic guardians and princess... and villains? What kind of a party is this, inviting both guardians and villains?"

"Waream, my baby cousin?" Peachream was shocked "Are you responsible for this?"

Waream looked annoyed. "I'm not a baby! In fact, I would be a much better ruler than you. That is why I used the thorns that your servants threw away to turns your guards into beasts and with this army of beasts-"

"That doesn't even listen to you," Maximus interrupted.

"Excuse me, don't interrupt my evil speech. Ehem, as I was saying with this army of beasts I will take over the planet!" Waream finished.

"You call that an evil speech? You didn't even do an evil laugh at the end," Maximus disapproved.

"Stop criticizing me!" Waream whined.

The large doors of the main hall were opened and Jurio, the princess' husband to be entered. "Jurio you're here! Oh goody we can start with the wedding soon!" Peachream cheered.

"Of course my love, everything is ready and it seems that our guests of honor from your favorite movie are here too," Jurio smiled.

"Hey! Are you ignoring me?" Waream complained. "Don't ignore me or the beasts will... Where did they go?"

"While you were busy with your speech, the guards who were not affected by the thorns, brought the. Everyone is back to normal now," Betty explained.

"Are you saying I was defeated already?" Waream was in disbelief.

"I'm sorry baby cousin, but I can't have you causing trouble in my wedding, so I'll have the guards take you away now. Don't worry, I'll send some cake to the dungeon!" Peachream had a bright happy smile, that never seemed to leave her face no matter what.

Maximus watched as Waream was taken away. "He just didn't have what it takes to be a villain."

"Do you have plans of causing trouble too?" Atomic Betty asked.

"Not today, I'm here as an invited guest and famous actor, so I'll leave the evil for another time," Maximus actually kept his word on that.

"Princess Peachream, my records indicate that you needed a forth item for the wedding and we have only recovered three," X-5 reminded.

"Oh yes, I've already decided what I want. Atomic Betty can I borrow your bracelet?" Peachream asked.

"My galactic guardian bracelet?" Betty asked.

"Oh no, I'm sure you need that one, I mean your other bracelet," the princess replied.

Besides her galactic guardian bracelet, Betty had another bracelet that her mother got her in hopes of making her stop wearing the old one. Of course, Betty needed her galactic guardian bracelet, so she simply wore the new one on her other wrist. "Okay, here it is."

"Now I have everything I need!" Peachream cheered. "Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. The glass slippers are old, the roses and dress are new, the bracelet is borrowed and the sapphire crown is blue."

xoxox xox xoxox

Everything went well during the wedding, with no more attacks. Maximus actually behaved, since he was too busy signing autographs to cause problems. Sparky certainly enjoyed the banquet and by the time Betty returned to Earth, the entire day had gone by. She found Noah near the lockers at school.

"Betty, where have you been all day? You missed the auditions!" Noah finally found her, after such a long time of searching.

"I guess I lost track of time," Betty tried to excuse herself.

"Penelope changed the lists and the teachers didn't even question why there was so much liquid paper on them," Paloma revealed. "Because of that, she ended up being the only candidate for the princess and by default they gave her the part, she didn't even have to audition."

"That's terrible," Betty wished she could have done something about that.

"I ended up getting casted as the evil witch, but that's okay, this witch will give the princess a very hard time when she gets captured," Paloma grinned.

"At least you get to give her some payback, I was erased from the lists so I wasn't allowed to audition because the teacher said she was clear that we needed to sign our names on time," Noah wasn't too disappointed really.

Just then, Dylan walked by. "Betty, where have you been all day? I thought you were going to audition for the play."

"Sorry, I lost track of time and missed it," Betty replied.

"Dylan was casted as the prince," Paloma pitied him.

"Good luck putting up with Penelope," Noah added.

"Actually, Duncan agreed to trade with me and we talked the teachers into letting us. I'll be the evil wizard instead, I guess that means I'm on your team Paloma," Dylan smiled.

"Welcome to the team. So Duncan ended up with the role of prince?" Paloma was amused at the thought of Penelope's reaction.

"I wonder what Penelope will say when she finds out?" Betty laughed.

The four of them laughed, as Penelope walked by with Sarah and Megan. "Find out about what?"

"Nothing," Betty and her friends laughed again.

"What? What is it?" Penelope didn't find out until it was time for rehearsal, and it was already too late to make any other changes.

More to come...

The idea for Planet 61 came from the episode Evil Idol, where Iciclea melts. Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty or the other works referenced on Planet 62, which are as follows: Peachream (peaches and cream, also a reference to Princess Peach), Jurio (Mario, Jupiter), Mushpipe (Mushroom Kingdom and pipes), the Toad or mushroom people, Cinderella's glass slippers, Oz's wizard song, the wizard show maker and Matrix's key maker, mythological winged sandals, Dragon's castle from the first Shrek movie, the rose from Beauty and the Beast, some of the obstacles are from Ninja Warrior, the burning is from a stage in Donkey Kong Country 3, the air conditioner tunnel on the roof is from Mission Impossible, Waream (Wario, ended with ream since he's Peachream's cousin). 


	11. Part 11

Atomic Galaxy

Planet 63: Door to Door Sales

The camera zoomed in taking a close up of a light purple alien man with bright orange hair. He carried a large black suitcase and was dressed in a black suit and tie. The alien approached his target, Maximus' lair, and rung the door bell. Minimus opened the door and looked at the alien suspiciously. He eyed his suitcase wondering what could be in it.

"Allow me to introduce myself!" The alien spoke in an overly cheerful voice, a little too loud. "I represent BARK the best encyclopedia in the known universe!" He opened his suitcase to reveal many small disks. "Everything known in the universe is recorded right here!" The alien ranted for a while about the benefits of the encyclopedia, just as he was trained to do, before he noticed Minimus waving his arms around. "Do you have a question?"

"Finally, I thought you'd never shut up!" Minimus' angry face growled. He changed back to his normal face and asked his question. "What does BARK stand for?"

The encyclopedia salesman opened his mouth as if to speak, but no sound came out. He assumed the classic thinking position with a hand on his chin, then he scratched the top of his head and finally answered. "I have no idea. I've been working for this company all my life and I still don't know." There was a moment of silence while each of them tried to find what to say next. Then the alien asked what he had come to ask. "Are you going to buy it?"

"I can't," Minimus replied. "His evilness told me to stop buying junk because there's no room for my junk in his lair." He changed to his evil face. "But there's plenty of room for his junk!" Once again Minimus changed to normal. "I'll ask him if he wants to buy it." Being his sidekick for so long, Minimus should have predicted Maximus' reaction, but he didn't.

xoxox xox xoxox

Minimus returned to the door with Maximus. "BARK? I'll tell you what that stands for, Boring annoying random kollection! That's what that collection of CDs are!" Today Maximus wasn't in the mood to deal with door to door space sales people.

"But your evilness, collection starts with a c," Minimus pointed out.

"My point exactly, they can't even spell it right!" Maximus yelled. "Besides, I'm a super genius I already know everything there is to know and I bet you don't have ways to destroy Atomic Betty in there anyway!"

"Actually, we have an entire chapter dedicated to Atomic Betty," the bark salesman proudly declared. "What she likes to do in her free time, her favorite color, everything!"

"Her home planet? How to destroy her?" Maximus asked.

"No, I think we're missing that part, but we have all the other information and with the online update you can continue receiving the latest information! You'll know things about Atomic Betty that very few know," the orange haired alien cheered.

"Atomic Betty's secrets, maybe not her home planet or how to destroy her, but her secrets that can be used against her. What kind of information is in there?" Maximus asked.

"Everything," the alien hoped that maybe he would finally sell something, then again even when he thought he had a client, they always turned him down when he told them the price, but maybe this time it would be different. Maybe Maximus IQ would be the first to buy this product and save BARK from bankruptcy. "For example do you know what color Betty painted her nails?"

"No," Maximus was trying to figure out why would that be relevant at all.

"If you buy the encyclopedia then you will know!" The alien cheerfully laughed, but then his laugh turned into an insane maniac laughter. "Sorry about that," he coughed. "I'm getting over a little cold. So will you buy it?"

"No!" Maximus didn't even give the alien a chance to tell him the price that would probably make him yell even louder, if that's even possible. "Why would I care what color Atomic Betty's nails are? I'm not some creepy obsessive fan boy stalker!"

"You're not?" The alien was surprised. "But there was this gossip magazine you were stalking Atomic Betty."

"Idiot! I'm following her because I want to know where she lives!" Maximus took a moment to think about his words. It did kind of sound like he was stalking her. "But I'm not her fan boy, I only want to know where she lives so I can destroy her home planet!"

"Sure you do," the alien teased. "Everyone's an Atomic Betty fan these days."

"Guards!" No way was Maximus going to stand there and be insulted in his own lair. The guards chased after the alien, but he quickly grabbed his suitcase and escaped before they could catch him.

xoxox xox xoxox

A few minutes passed and someone else came. This time it was an alien of a different species selling pots and pans. Maximus almost kicked him out, literally, but Bernadette pushed Minimus in the way and the little sidekick served as a shield.

"Don't scare away the sales people!" The chef scolded, "especially when they're selling such high quality products."

While Minimus complained about the way he was being treated, Maximus became very confused. To him the pots and pans looked normal with nothing special, maybe it took a chef to tell the difference.

xoxox xox xoxox

After Bernadette finished shopping, all was quiet in Maximus' lair until once more there was someone at the door. But this time Maximus was ready. As soon as the intruder was standing in front of the door Maximus opened it and yelled. "I'm not buying anything!" Then he closed the door and walked a way with a satisfied smile.

However, it took a moment for his brain to register the image he had seen when he opened the door. That wasn't one of those annoying space sales people, it was a just a kid.

Maximus remembered the last time he accidentally yelled at a little kid like that. He almost got cooked by an angry mother, then again that was a dragon child he mixed up with an annoying sales person that time and this kid wasn't a dragon. He heard what sounded like sad meows coming from the other side of the door and slowly opened it with curiosity.

There stood a little lynx girl meowing sadly. "No one will buy my cookies." She gave Maximus the sad kitten look that all lynx children learn by instinct. In fact he used it quite often when he was little. "Now I'll have to go back to the orphanage and tell that mean lady that I couldn't sell the cookies. I'm a bad girl and no one will want to adopt me."

Maximus was about to say something, but he felt like he was being watched. Sure enough that annoying gossipy reporter, Exa Jerada, was standing there watching. "Don't mind me," Exa grinned mischievously. "I'll just stand here quietly and watch as Maximus IQ helps a good cause. Oh, yeah and I'll also publish the video to trash your super villain reputation for money."

Before Maximus could say anything the cute little kitten girl looked at Exa and her expression changed. She no longer looked like an innocent little girl, but had a look of pure evil in her face. She showed her sharp fangs and claws as she approached Exa, who slowly backed away. "Listen lady, back off and leave my client alone!" She hissed and looked like she was about to jump on Exa and tare her apart.

The blue alien reporter knew when it was time to run for her life and this was definitely a good time. Once Exa was gone, the girl walked back to Maximus, scaring him with her evil look. Then she smiled sweetly, as all traces of evil disappeared from her face.

"How did you do that? When I was little and tried to look evil, it never came out right!" Maximus was in shock.

"What can I say? I have natural talent," the girl bragged.

"You're not really a little orphan girl are you?" Maximus asked.

"Nope, I'm a super villain in training and I'm selling cookies to buy weapons of mass destruction." The girl spoke with so much sweetness in her voice, it made it sound very creepy.

"Why didn't you say so? It's good to see young super villains working so hard to achieve their goals. I'm sure someday you'll be a professional. Those cookies aren't poisoned are they?" Maximus asked.

"No, that would blow my sweet little girl cover and besides if I kill my clients, I can't over charge them for cookies the next day and that means I lose money," the girl reasoned.

"Good point," Maximus agreed. "Well since it's for an evil cause, I'll buy some cookies."

xoxox xox xoxox

When Chef Bernadette heard about the purchased cookies, she wasn't too happy about that. "I spend hours baking cookies and then you go and buy them?"

"But it was for an evil cause!" Maximus tried to explain.

"Since when are you interested in cooperating for causes?" Bernadette argued.

"That little girl was creepy. If she comes back I'll pretend I'm not home," Maximus decided.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile on Earth, Betty was once again selling candy to support her school. However, this time her dad was away in a business trip and couldn't help her and her mom was too busy spoiling Purrsey. Worse yet, Penelope had her father hire a professional to sell her candy and every house Betty visited already had candy from Penelope. Not even her Galactic Guardian sales speech was working now.

Betty wondered if someone somewhere in the universe was feeling as annoyed as her. But she wasn't going to give up; no way was Penelope going to beat her. Betty couldn't let her win; then she got an idea that was crazy enough to work.

xoxox xox xoxox

Once again someone stood at Maximus' door. For a minute he was afraid it was that creepy villain girl but it wasn't her. Instead there was a green alien girl of Sparky's species with red hair in a pony tail. "Hi, I'm selling candy. Wanna buy some?" Her speech was simple and to the point. There was a moment of silence in which Betty wondered just what she was doing there.

Maximus thought about it, Bernadette was still offended about the cookies and refused to make any sweets. Who knows how long her mood swing would last, so he better stock up on sweets. "Only if they're really good" Maximus finally answered, much to Betty's surprise.

"I'll let you try one," Betty offered. Even if he didn't buy any in the end, she was curious to know what he thought of the candy that was secretly from Earth.

Maximus ate the candy, "this is good, I'll buy them all!"

xoxox xox xoxox

It took a quick trip to the black market after that to exchange the universal currency into Earth currency, specifically from Canada. Betty couldn't do this at a space bank, since Earth currency wasn't supposed to be found in space, being Earth a pre-contact planet. But sometimes you have to bend the rules to win. Besides, Penelope was already bending the rules her own way. At least Betty actually sold the candy in person instead of hiring someone to do it and there was no established geological area for the sales anyway.

End of Planet 63

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o0o0o o0o0o o0o0o o0o0o o0o0o o0o0o o0o0o o0o0o o0o0o

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Planet 64: Lost in the Mall

Sparky looked scared as he walked around the mall. He had learned that Earth could be a dangerous planet. Never underestimate the potential of a pre-contact race. He had become separated from Betty because he was distracted by the scent of fast food coming from the food court.

Not too far from the food court was an arcade. Sparky knew he didn't have earth money to pay for the food so he tried to stay away from it to resist the temptation to eat everything he saw. She ran inside the arcade wondering if Betty had gone there. In the arcade, Sparky found Betty's earthling friend Noah. "Hi, have you seen Betty?"

"No, I haven't seen her, but how do you know her? I don't think I've seen you in school." Noah didn't recognize him as the new kid since now he wasn't green or had a big nose.

Sparky was now in a complete holographic human disguise. "I go to the same school as the sister of the best friend of the neighbor of her cousin," Sparky spoke quickly, hoping Noah wouldn't ask about it.

"Oh," Noah was confused, but he decided not to ask. "Well I haven't seen her since yesterday at school." Today was Saturday.

"Okay, thanks I'll find her," Sparky hoped it was soon.

He was about to walk out of the arcade but Noah followed him. "I'll help you look for Betty."

Sparky wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want to sound mean, but he wasn't sure if he could interact with earth people who didn't know about life outside of their planet for a long period of time. "Um, thanks."

Sparky and Noah headed off to search for Betty. "Maybe she's in the video store. She likes science fiction movies," Noah guessed. They entered the video store and looked around.

"This place is big," Sparky looked at the many aisles. To him, it looked like some sort of maze. He didn't understand why earthlings build their video stores in such a way. On his planet movies were kept on a server and copied to a standard disk at the moment of purchase. The process took three to five seconds depending on how long the movie was and how many extras the disk would include. If he was only renting the movie then the disk would automatically erase itself after the time expired and it could be recycled.

Noah took his comment as a suggestion to split up and search for Betty. "You go that way," he pointed to the left, "and I'll go this way," he pointed to the right. "We'll meet back at the entrance in ten minutes."

"Okay, I got it!" Sparky headed in his assigned direction. Maybe this was some sort of game. Like who could go in and out of the maze first. Sadly, Sparky got lost. He was sure he had walked by that little box with a picture of Anakin Skywalker on it at least seven times. He knew about Star Wars. Almost everyone in the universe knew about Star Wars.

Noah stood at the entrance to the video store waiting for that new kid to come out. It had already been twenty minutes and there was no sign of him. He was sure the boy had a watch, so he should know it was time to meet him. Of course Noah didn't know that the so called watch was actually the source of his hologram disguise.

"Great, he ditched me," Noah sadly concluded. Now not only Betty ran off all the time, but even some new kid he just met left without him. "Am I that boring?" Noah sighed sadly, no one wanted to be around him, and left the video store.

"Hi Noah," a girl's voice spoke.

Noah looked up from staring at the floor and saw Megan. "Hi Megan, what are you doing here?" He was a little surprised to find her by herself instead of following Penelope around as she usually did.

"Well I'm not following Penelope," Megan sounded a little upset. "She asked, no, she told me, to go with her to the make up store then she kept criticizing me when I tried on some make up. I'm not going to put up with it. She can carry her own bags today."

"I don't know how you put up with her in the first place," Noah admitted as they started to walk back to the arcade.

"She's popular and pretty and has a lot of friends. She's everything I'm not," Megan explained.

"Who would want to be like her? She's annoying, mean and a spoiled brat," Noah's comment caused Megan to giggle. "What? It's true."

"How come you never said that before?" Megan asked.

"I don't know, I guess I rather stay out of trouble," Noah admitted. They both laugh and entered the arcade.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, Sparky had made it out of the video store maze and concluded that Noah ditched him. Those earthlings were so mean, with the exception of Betty of course.

The mall was full of people since it was a Saturday afternoon and he didn't know where Betty could be. Sparky sat on a bench near the food court, wishing he had earth money to buy some food and drown his worries in it. But he knew he would get into trouble if he ate anything without paying for it and he didn't want to get into any more trouble.

"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse," a boy said as he walked by.

"Oh yeah? Well I'm so hungry I could eat an entire alien race!" Another boy replied as the two headed towards the food court.

Sparky's eyes widened in fear. "Cannibals!" He ran for his life. Betty hasn't said anything about there being cannibals on this planet, but you never know what may come from such a strange place. In his panic, he bumped into a red haired girl.

"Sparky!" Betty was relived to find him. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Chief!" Sparky hugged her happily. "I was running away from the cannibals. Don't let them eat me!"

Betty hugged him back and petted his head gently. "It's okay Sparky; no one's going to eat you. Now let's go to the store, get what we need and leave." Betty wondered where Sparky got the strange idea that there were cannibals at the mall.

Sparky nodded, "okay, chief, I feel safe when you're here."

End of Planet 64

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty or Star Wars. 


	12. Part 12

Atomic Galaxy

Planet 65: Thorn

The light sabers crashed against each other again, making the bright lights brighter. It was red against green, a villain and a hero. The hero was clearly in control of the duel so far. They were both trapped in a room of an ancient temple in the middle of a jungle, where they searched for a hidden treasure. After falling into a trap and ending up stuck together in that room, they occupied their time in a duel of light sabers. Outside, their allies good and evil, tried to find a way to free their respective leader, but it might take a while to figure out how this ancient place worked.

The stone walls were very old, but held up strong and firm. Nature had taken over the temple, even if the temple didn't give in. The walls were covered in several different kinds of alien plants that climbed up the walls to the ceiling from between the stone tiles of the floor. A few long vines fell from the openings on the roof almost, touching the floor. Most those plants were long and thin, some had flowers, some had leaves and some had thorns.

The battle continued, neither of them paying attention to the scenery, instead focused on the other's movements. The light sabers crashed against each other over and over again. The Galactic Guardian moved faster now. The villain also increased the speed of his movements. They ran forward and backwards, jumping over rocks and dodging vegetation, as their battle continued. The room was quite large with plenty of space for their duel, even if it contained many natural obstacles.

They moved faster and faster, as if wanting to end the battle soon. They continued until Maximus tripped over a stone and to avoid falling, he held on to one of the long vines that fell from the roof. That specific vine didn't have leaves or flowers, it had thorns. Immediately feeling the pain of his mistake, Maximus let go of the vine as he regained his balance. He dropped the light saber and held his injured hand in the other.

Atomic Betty stood there for a moment, watching the feline's odd behavior. He had dropped his weapon and sounded as if he was in pain. The light from the green light saber disappeared as she deactivated it and placed the handle back on her belt. "What happened?"

"Thorn," Maximus attempted to remove the thorn from his hand but it hurt too much.

"Let me see," Betty slowly approached.

"No!" Maximus stepped away.

"Just let me see." Betty grabbed his hand by the wrist and examined the injury. The thorn was rather large, about an inch long and a little blood was visible. "I can get it out, it's not that bad."

"It doesn't look that bad to you, because it's not on your hand!" Maximus pulled away and attempted to remove the thorn himself but the pain stopped him.

"Let me get it out," Betty insisted. He looked at her for a moment. "I'll try to make it so it doesn't hurt." It wasn't a guarantee but at least it was something.

"Fine," he extended his hand to her.

It was hard to believe she was actually doing this. First they were having a light saber duel and now there she was removing a thorn from his hand. He didn't look as evil as he did a while ago now he just stood there looking away, as if not seeing the thorn being removed would make it less painful. She took his hand and gently removed the thorn. "There, it's gone now," she tossed the thorn away.

Maximus let out a "meouch," when the thorn was removed. "I thought you said it wouldn't hurt!"

"I said I would try to make it so it doesn't hurt and I did try," Betty corrected.

"You didn't try hard enough," he complained.

She blew at his hand as one does when a small injury stings, "better?"

"I suppose I can survive," Maximus looking at the small cut that was left where the thorn was. He walked over to pickup his light saber from the floor and noticed something he had not seen before. Atomic Betty looked in the direction he was looking and saw a secret passage. She looked at where the thorny branch Maximus had pulled was and saw the stone block it was attached to was a little lower than the rest of the ceiling. "I found it it's mine!" Maximus ran to the secret passage.

Betty followed and at the end of the small dark passage, they came to a room with a treasure chest. The chest was already opened and empty. "Looks like someone beat us to it."

"This can't be! I didn't come all the way here, risked my life and got seriously injured for nothing!" Maximus took a closer look at the treasure chest. In a corner of the chest, he found a shiny coin. The metal it was made of reflected all the colors of the rainbow in the little light that came in the room by the openings on the missing parts of the ceiling.

Betty's bracelet chimed and she answered it, while Maximus was busy with his shiny rare coin. "Atomic Betty reporting for duty!"

"Atomic Betty, we have just received news that Infantor took the treasure you were sent to retrieve and is using the coins as board game pieces. You must recover those priceless ancient coins and bring them safely to the museum!" Admiral Degill said.

"I'm on my way!" Atomic Betty saluted.

"I heard that!" Maximus said.

"I know, I guess it's a race to see who takes the treasure from Infantor first?" Betty snatched the coin away from Maximus. "I'll have to take this," then she ran off, back over the secret passage.

"Give that back!" Maximus followed her, yelling about how he found the passage and he found the coin, so he should keep it.

As they reached the room where their light saber duel took place, Sparky, X-5 and Minimus had already found a way to free them. "Sparky, X-5 the treasure isn't here let's go!" Atomic Betty ran out of the ancient temple with her crew following her.

"Hurry Minimus, after them!" Maximus ran out as well, followed by his sidekick.

End of Planet 65

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Planet 66: Frozen Beauty (SolovemxIciclea)

Glittery ice was left as she walked, marking the path she took. She was in search of something, something that would solve all her troubles, or at least one of them. Ice crystals like mirrors reflected the light. Where once was a single magical fire torch lighting the room dimly, now there is an entire constellation of stars. A galaxy was forming as the magical fire survived the cold and reflected its light upon the mirror of ice. That crystal reflected the light on another and another and the result was the shiny reflection of many stars.

He watched from the darkness. Few shadows were left after the room was covered in light, but where there's light there always a shadow and there is no shadow without light. The wizards have been ordered to stay out of this. He would take care of the stranger himself, yet he only watched as if waiting for her to do something that would indicate what her intentions were. She possessed powerful magic, concentrated in one element, ice. She handled the scepter elegantly and gracefully shaped the ice into anything she wanted. But what was her purpose to be there?

She continued searching around. The place looked deserted and she wondered why. She had a strange feeling, as if someone was watching her from the shadows. She entered the next room and once again found nothing but a lonely torch of magical fire as the only light. This time her creation was different. Ice, snow and icy crystals reflecting the light like mirrors, but not as much light as in her previews creation. This was something different, the aurora. The light changed colors, reflecting off the wall which was covered in a thin layer of ice, not too much, not too little, just enough to make the aurora shine.

He watched her quietly. He watched her play with her magic like a child wizard. He watched her create a beautiful work of art in the castle of a stranger. Her art would be gone by the next day, melted away. Yet she did it anyway. Maybe she thought it was strange that no one came to stop her and thought that this might catch the castle owner's attention. Then a confrontation, if there was going to be any, would happen and be over with, or she would be welcomed into the castle. She gave away such beauty to the eyes of a stranger, a galaxy, the aurora, her own reflection.

Examining her surroundings once more, paying close attention to the few dark corners, Iciclea didn't find anyone and continued her walk around the castle. She couldn't see past the shadow of dark magic that hid the wizard watching her, yet she knew that someone was watching, she knew for certain now, she felt it. Maybe the one watching her was amused by her little works of art. A castle crabbed from ice. An entire miniature city with its people made of ice alone, yet it looked so real. She was in a playful mood now, wanting to entertain her unknown companion.

Light shows and sculptures all very beautiful. Why did she come? Was she just going to play with her magic and leave? He continued watching more curiously by the second, wondering what she would do next. Did she know she was being watched? Surely he was hidden by his magic, but did she somehow know? He watched quietly from the darkness. If he came out the show may stop and he wanted to watch more.

The next room she entered had more light, but was still a little dark. Four torches with magical fire burned, one on every wall. A few snowflakes began to appear dancing around her, carried by the non-existent wind, so small and delicate, yet so detailed in design. The mirror-like icy snow flakes reflected the little light of the room glowing, and there she was, on the center of the frozen beauty.

One small snow flake fell near his hiding place. The darkness covering him started to fade away. He watched her as she danced, creating more snowflakes that flew around her. The snowflakes floated in the air, carried by her magic. Then she saw him, but she didn't stop. The room was filled with magic, a different kind of magic.

"Enjoyed the show?" Iciclea finally asked.

Solovem nodded. "I have enjoyed it very much. Why do you give away such art?"

"Why not? I have all I need to endlessly create what you saw," she smiled.

"What is your name?" He asked.

"Iciclea, and you are?" She inquired.

"Solovem," he replied. "What is it that you seek in my castle, beautiful lady?"

"You see the ice that I have created? It will melt away and so will my beauty without the montigo berries," Iciclea revealed.

"I understand and I can help you solve this. Come this way." They headed up one of the many staircases of the dark castle and reached a room with many potions on the shelves that reached the tall ceiling. "Here it is," Solovem made a bottle float to his hand using his magic. "This will make you look as you do now for the rest of your life."

Iciclea quickly created a mirror of ice. She had used a large amount of montigo berries recently and still looked young and beautiful. Perfect, now was the time to use that potion. She extended her hand to take the bottle but she stopped. "What do you want in return?"

"Stay, stay here in Mortavio," Solovem handed her the bottle.

She looked at him, then at the bottle and drank its content feeling the effect immediately. She still looked young and beautiful and she somehow knew she didn't need the montigo berries anymore. "I can't."

"Why not?" He asked.

"I don't fit in here, it's too warm, but thank you." Iciclea turned to leave and stopped at the door. "I'll come back, even if it's warm, I'll come to see you," she smiled.

Solovem returned the gesture, if she was willing to return from time to time, that would be enough, "I will be waiting."

End of Planet 66

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty. 


	13. Part 13

Atomic Galaxy

**Planet 67: Dear Door**

Noah's Point of View

They say that when you're with the one you love, the world looks different. They say you see things that you never noticed before, but for me it's the other way around. I never noticed this little scratch at the bottom of Betty's door before. I guess maybe I never had so much time on my hands that I would notice such small details. I have nothing better to do while I wait in front of her house, so I pass the time looking at the door, staring at it. I've spent a lot of time staring at this door, usually from the inside, waiting for Betty to return from who knows where, even if she said she would be home, but it's such a nice sunny day today I decided to wait outside.

I wonder where you got that scratch dear door, my only companion. Was it Purrsey? Did he do this to you? The scratch is about the right size to have come from a cat. Poor, poor door... Okay, this is getting weird. I really need to occupy my mind before I go insane. Why is it that Betty always goes off to an unknown place? Where does she go anyway? I've tried searching but never find her. Does she just disappear into thin air then magically reappears later?

The sun is starting to slowly fade away and dark clouds are covering the sky. It looks like the nice sunny day is gone and it might start to rain soon. I wonder if Betty's mother remembers I'm out here or if she forgot, or thinks I went home already, after all it's been hours. You know Betty doesn't want to be with me, don't you door? I wish someone would come and talk to me, then I wouldn't have to sit here mentally talking to Betty's door. I think I'll get up and go for a walk to stretch my legs. I don't care if I get caught in the rain, a cold can't possibly make things worse when I'm feeling as bad as I humanly can.

Actually, forget the walk, I'm going home. It might not make a difference to Betty if she remembers our plans or not. It might not make a difference to Betty is she's one hour late, or five hours late, or doesn't show up at all. But if I'm going to wait for her to care, I might as well drop dead here and now. I'm going home. I've made many sacrifices for her, grades, possible friends, family reunions; more things than I can count. Plus I have gotten a few colds waiting in the rain outside the movie theater, beside the bus stop, in the park, all over Moose Jaw Heights.

Dear door,  
This is such a bore,  
Where did she go?  
Waiting is not my chore.

Dear door,  
I'm in love to the core,  
So I sit on the floor,  
Waiting for her to show.

Dear door,  
What is it I wait for?  
The rain stars to pour,  
Thunder starts to roar.

Dear door,  
Nobody's keeping score,  
But I'm washed up on the shore,  
Waiting is such a snore.

Dear door,  
Now I'm wet and I'm sore,  
I thought she's be here for sure,  
"I won't be late," she swore.

Dear door,  
My heart to pieces she tore,  
I've forgotten the smile I wore,  
When I thought my hearts was yours.

Dear door,  
I thought "it's her I adore,"  
But that was before,  
Now it feels like we're at war.

Dear door,  
Another place I must explore,  
From now on I will ignore,  
Our friendship won't be restored.

Dear door,  
I've been waiting for so long,  
Dear door,  
I can't take it anymore,

End of Noah's POV

Betty's Point of View

I'm late again and this time we were supposed to meet in my own house! I hope Noah's still there. I'm beamed down to my room and go check the living room where he usually waits. Finally I see him outside; he just started to walk away. "Noah!" I call out opening the front door.

He heads back and just stands there in the rain, even if I already stepped aside for him to come in. "I can't believe you," he says upset. I don't think he's ever been this angry at me before. "What is this, some kind of game you're playing with me for your own amusement?" I'm surprised by his words, I've left him waiting before, but he has never been this upset. "Hiding in your room while I'm waiting outside in the rain? Your mother said you weren't home, did she think you were out or did you convince her to help you?"

Then the reality sinks in. I was beamed down to my room and came looking for him in a hurry. I can't really tell him I used the backdoor, that wouldn't explain why I'm not wet. "I just arrived and went to change into dry clothes," I lie hoping he will believe it.

"How did you enter the house? Did you use a window?" He asks suspiciously.

"I used he backdoor, you know there is one," I say a little too quickly, without giving it too much thought.

My answer only makes him angrier. "That's impossible because before I came to sit outside your mother tried to keep me entertained, she talked about random things and mentioned that the backdoor's lock was broken and the door was stuck."

"It's fixed now," I quickly say. It's not like I can't distract him for a second then blast off the lock with a small laser my bracelet comes equipped with.

At the very moment my mother walks by and the disaster takes a turn for the worse. "Betty you're home, well don't just stand there you two, come in before you catch a cold! Did I tell you the backdoor is stuck? I was hoping your father could fix it but he won't b back from his business trip for a few days so maybe you can take a look at it later. I tried to get it to open but couldn't, maybe you'll have a better idea."

The glare Noah directed at me was worse then how most super villains look at me. He never glares at anyone, not even Penelope. "Sorry, I have to go," he left, he just left, running in the rain. I can't really blame my mother, she didn't know what was going on, but that's just it, when your life has a secret this big and you can't tell anyone, then there's no one there to back you up and it's not like I can call Granny every time something like this happens.

"Betty close the door," my mother, gently removed my hand from the doorknob and closed it. "It's alright, you two can work on that project later; you don't have to stare at the door as if you just saw a ghost." The sound of the rain grows weaker and the last few raindrops fall. "Let's go take a look at that backdoor now." My mother guides me to the backdoor and I quietly follow. I want to fix things with Noah, I don't want to lose him like I lost Dylan, but I can't go after him now. What will I say?

When I face him, I need to have a very good explanation, or rather a very good excuse. I wonder how Granny managed to have a relationship while being a Galactic Guardian. Noah and I have never been on a real date, we've always gone out as friends and more often than not I couldn't go, or arrived ridiculously late. I'm not even sure I can keep a friendship anymore. I'll have to talk to Granny about this later, because I'll need a lot of advice.

End of Betty's POV

End of Planet 67

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**Planet 68: Ghost**

It was a stormy night in outer space. There was an electric space storm passing near Maximus' lair. "Achu!" Chef Bernadette sneezed for what felt like the millionth time. Too tired to go any further, Bernadette went to a guest room in Maximus lair and tried to get some rest. Maybe things would be better in the morning.

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Meanwhile, in a large living room. "Minimus! Tell Chef Bernadette to prepare some kind of expensive snack worthy of me," Maximus sat on a large comfy couch in front of a TV. There was a horror movie playing today, supposedly a good one with ghosts and all that stuff.

"But the chef doesn't feel well, remember?" Minimus reminded him.

"Great, just when I needed a good snack," Maximus complained. "Go find something in the kitchen!"

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As Minimus entered the kitchen there was a loud noise like an explosion and everything went black. Lightning had hit the lair's generator, making it short circuit. "Ooowwww," Minimus heard a spooky voice.

"Your evilness is that you?" Both his faces kept their eyes open for any sign of Maximus, but found none. It was too dark to see anything.

"Ooooowwww," there was the spooky voice again.

Forgetting all about Maximus' snack, Minimus quickly ran back to the living room. "Your evilness I heard a ghost!" But no one answered. "Boss?" He couldn't see in the darkness, but he was pretty sure he had taken all the right turns and returned to the living room where Maximus was. Minimus gulped. "That ghost already ate him," his normal face said. "Good now the ghost is full and won't eat me," his angry face added.

"Oooww!" Minimus nearly jumped a mile upon hearing the spooky voice again. Unknown to him, it was only Chef Bernadette who couldn't sleep and came down to the kitchen in search of a cooking book to read and got lost in the dark. In the darkness, Chef Bernadette tripped and in an effort not to fall, she held on to a white curtain, but pulled it off the window. Minimus stayed perfectly still hoping the ghost would just go away.

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Meanwhile, "I'm not scared, I'm not scared, I'm a brave super villain, I'm not scared," Maximus repeated to himself while he made his way to the main control panel to turn on the emergency power. He found the switch in the darkness and sighed in relief when the lights came back on.

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The lights flickered and came back on, then Minimus saw it, the ghost! "Ah!" Both his faces screamed at the same time and he ran away as fast as he could, leaving Bernadette trying to get the curtain off.

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Another loud noise outside was heard, it was another explosion. Another short circuit happened, cutting off the emergency power. "Minimus!" Maximus called his sidekick, he would never admit to being scared, not even to himself, but he kept calling Minimus anyway. "Minimus!"

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Minimus thought he heard Maximus, but his voice was so far away. "He's been taken to the spirit world!" Minimus yelled in terror as he ran away faster. He didn't know where he was going, he just ran.

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"Minimus is that you?" Bernadette finally won the battle with the curtain, but Minimus was nowhere to be found. Maybe it was best to go back to bed.

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Running non-stop, Minimus knocked over a base, the sound of broken glass echoing in the quiet of the night, reaching Maximus' ears. Could there be an intruder in his lair? With the power out, the security system didn't work, so maybe someone found a way in. Maximus would catch the intruder by surprise, but he had to be prepared. He searched around knocking several things over in the process, until he found a flashlight and a laser gun, then went in search of the intruder.

Maximus walked slowly, examining his surroundings carefully and watching out for a possible hiding place where the supposed intruder could be. However, the flashlight wasn't working very well since Maximus had accidentally dropped it before and the batteries were loose. As he pointed the flashlight in another direction the sudden movement made the batteries slide out of place and the light was gone.

Minimus turned a corner and now made his way around the lair slowly, following his hand in the wall, he had already tripped several times from the running and didn't want to trip again. Maximus shook the flashlight trying to make it work, the sudden flashes of light scared Minimus. "Ah!" Both his faces screamed again.

"Ah!" Maximus screamed at the same time. Startled by Minimus, Maximus tossed the flashlight and the laser gun into the air. Fortunately the laser gun didn't go off when it landed, but when the flashlight hit the floor the batteries were pushed back into place and the light came back on. "Minimus!"

"Your evilness, you're alive! I thought the ghost ate you and took your soul to the spirit world!" Minimus ran to Maximus, only to be hit on the head when he got there.

"That's what you get for sneaking up on me!" Maximus said angrily. His little sidekick gave him quite a scare, even if he would never admit it.

"Ow," Minimus held his head.

"Ooooowwww," a voice was heard.

"Quit complaining Minimus, I didn't even hit you that hard," Maximus was annoyed, assuming the complaint came from Minimus.

But Minimus was shaking like a jelly, "that wasn't me!"

"Oooowwwww!" The voice was heard again. Maximus pointed the flashlight in different directions, searching for the source of the voice, but the fast movements caused the batteries to slip out of place again and it all went dark. "Ooooowwwww!"

As the electric space storm left, the lair's main computer which was working on backup battery, detected that the conditions were no longer considered to be risky for a short circuit and automatically activated the secondary emergency power generator, which Maximus forgot he had, causing the light to come back on.

"Achu!" Chef Bernadette sneezed loudly, then stared at Maximus who was very pale, hugging Minimus nearly choking him. "Don't you people ever sleep? I have a killer head ache! Achu!"

Maximus dropped Minimus. "It was you making that sound all along? There was no ghost or intruder, it was you," Maximus repeated, as if to convince himself.

"Ghost? Why would there be a ghost here, if they even exist," Bernadette sniffed and tried to suppress a sneeze, but it didn't work and she sneezed anyway. "What intruder could have gotten in with that storm outside? No one in their right mind would be out there. Achu!" After that, the chef returned to the guest room to get some rest.

"What should we do now your evilness?" Minimus wondered if Maximus still wanted to stay up watching TV and ordering him around.

The movie must be over by now with all the time they spent wondering around the darkness of the lair. "It's late, I'm going to sleep," Maximus headed off to his room.

"Okay, good night," Minimus went off to his own room to get some rest too.

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Maximus got comfortable in his large soft bed and closed his eyes. He was about to fall asleep when he heard a voice "Aberdeffia..."

Maximus opened his eyes and saw a thin line of light coming in from under the closed door. The voice sounded different, but people always sound different when they have a bad cold. He went back to sleep assuming that it was Bernadette asking about some kind of cold medicine called Aberdeffia, Minimus could go find it if they had any of that.

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The ghost captain had left his ship to search for Aberdeffia instead of waiting for her to return. He was beginning to think it wasn't such a good idea, so far he hasn't been able to find her or a single clue as to where she could be. Then he got caught in that storm and had to seek shelter in Maximus' lair. Sure he was a ghost, but not even ghosts like being out in electric space storms.

No one had seen the ghost captain searching for Aberdeffia and since he didn't find her, he headed back to his ship, concluding that it was best to simply wait for her there. Even if there really had been a ghostly presence there that night, no one ever knew.

End of Planet 68

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**Planet 69: Galactic Fur Ball**

For Betty it was another afternoon at home with Purrsey. Her father was away on a business trip and her mother had gone off to the hair salon and most likely won't be back for a long time. She could go somewhere, but it wasn't as fun alone. Due to her constant disappearances, her friends started making plans without her.

What good was it inviting Betty if she wouldn't show up, left after just a few minutes, or arrives when it was almost time to leave. Noah was starting to think Betty just didn't like spending time with him anymore and the one day when everything was calm, she was the one who couldn't find him.

Noah was probably off somewhere with some of their classmates, some other friends. Maybe he didn't even want to be found, Betty didn't know for sure, but she didn't go search. If Noah didn't invite her, then he didn't want her around.

Betty sighed sadly and turned off the TV after changing channels for a while and finding nothing good to watch. She was starting to feel excluded on Earth, but at least she still had her friends from space. As if on cue, her bracelet chimed and Betty answered it, saluting like she always did. "Atomic Betty reporting for duty!"

"Good afternoon Atomic Betty, there are no missions at the moment, I just wanted to remind you about tonight's ball," Admiral Degill said. It was the annual Galactic Guardian's ball that night.

"How could I forget? I'll be there." It was too bad Betty couldn't invite Noah or Dylan to go with her, but she wasn't going to miss out. She would just go to bed early that day, saying she was really tired, lock her room's door and call Sparky to beam her up. She would probably be sleepy the next day, but the ball would be fun and all her friends from space would be there. "How are the preparations going?"

"Everything is going well, Sparky and X-5 are here right now, helping with the decorations," as Degill said this X-5 could be heard in the background telling Sparky the snacks were for later. To which Sparky answered that he was only testing them to make sure they where good enough to be served at the ball.

Betty smiled thinking about how she could spend the afternoon. "Need any help? I'm not doing anything right now."

"All help is very welcomed, we're running a little behind schedule," Degill admitted. "I'll tell Sparky to pick you up; he'll be there in a few minutes."

Unknown to Betty, Purrsey was watching. He wanted was to find that big gold fish in the picture. The little gold fish Betty had in her room was nothing compared to that one. But instead he was chased around by that monster. The first time Purrsey followed Betty he met some interesting people.

There was that golden metallic creature, unlike the monster that had chased him, that one was nicer. The green boy who sneezed, a strange creature with two faces whom Purrsey thought was mean and there was that big cat person. He was like a cat but also like a human, Purrsey liked him, he liked people who were nice to him and give him lots of attention.

Soon, Sparky arrived to take Betty to the Galactic Guardians Headquarters and once again Sir Purrsefus was beamed up with her. Inevitably, Sparky's allergies kicked in full force and they almost crashed into HQ, if not because Betty took control of the Starcruiser just in time.

"I believe you have contracted a space virus," X-5 theorized.

Sparky let out another big sneeze. "That can't be, the ball is tonight!"

"Space viruses don't care about balls," X-5 pointed out, "snd besides, it's not like you have a date."

"And you have one?" Sparky sneezed again.

"As a matter of fact I do," X-5 replied calmly.

Betty asked as the three exited the ship. "It's that robot girl who was with the princess right? From when we helped her cross the desert?"

"That is correct," X-5 confirmed.

"No fair! How come I ah-achu! How come I don't have a date?" Sparky asked.

"It's okay Sparky, I don't have a date either," Betty revealed, just as Atomic Rodger waked by.

'Atomic Betty doesn't have a date? This is perfect; I'll ask her to be my date!' Rodger thought. But he wouldn't ask right away, he wanted to wait for the right moment.

After they were far enough from Purrsey, Sparky's allergies stopped and they were able to start helping with the preparations for the ball that night.

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Purrsey left the ship and started to explore that strange place. The Galactic Guardians didn't think the unusual and cute little creature presented a threat. They assumed he was a pet of some sort, from a distant planet. Some of them even petted Purrsey as he walked by.

Purrsey's curious exploration brought him to Degill's office, where the admiral was currently at his desk taking on the video phone about the cake delivery, because any and every form of party needed to have cake.

After the call was over, Degill noticed Purrsey looking at him. He hoped off the desk and waked over to him. "Hello there, where did you come from?"

Degill tried to pet Purrsey but the cat tried to bite the admiral. Purrsey hissed and tried to tackle Degill. The gold fish admiral quickly jumped out of the way and Purrsey chased him.

"Stop that this instant or I'll be forced to use force!" Degill warned, but this strange creature, that for some unknown reason reminded him of Maximus, didn't appear to understand. With amazing feline speed Purrsey picked up Degill on his mouth and carried him to a corner, where he sat down to eat in peace.

A window was suddenly opened and someone entered the room. Purrsey attempted to hide Degill but it was too late. The person removed a black clocked coving her and there stood none other then Pontifadora. Purrsey slowly approached the fish woman. He didn't care about Degill anymore, this fish was much bigger. "Who's your friend Gilly?" Pontifadora picked up Purrsey, which scared him, fish are not supposed to pick up cats. But she petted him and Purrsey calmed down. Maybe not all fish are meant to be eaten. "This is a cute little creature."

"That cute little creature tried to eat me!" Degill pointing to the scratches he had received from Sir Purrsefus.

"Admiral Degill," Betty already knew of Degill secretly getting back together with Pontifadora. She was going to be his date at the ball, with a disguise of course. "The cake is here and you need to sign the delivery form. Hi Pontifadora," Betty noticed Pontifadora was holding Purrsey. "Purrsey?"

"You know that annoying miniature Maximus? Er I mean, do you know that um... cute little feline specimen?" Admiral Degill forced a smile.

"Yes," Betty replied. "He's my mother's pet, he must have been beamed up along with me. Sorry about that."

"It's alright, don't worry too much about it," Degill skipped the part about Purrsey trying to eat him. "I better go sign those delivery forms," he hastily left the office.

"I guess you'll need to take the little cutie back," Pontifadora gave Purrsey to Betty. The cat didn't like this, but Betty managed to hold on to him. "Yeah, I better take him home."

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So far during the course of the afternoon, Rodger had tried to ask Betty to the ball several times, but someone always interrupted while they decorated, asking Betty to hold this or move that and so on.

Rodger saw her walking to the Starcruiser with Sparky who, for some reason unknown to Rodger had his space helmet on, even if there was plenty of oxygen inside the headquarters. This could be his last chance to ask Betty to the ball, Rodger couldn't wait for the perfect moment any more.

"So I was thinking," Rodger heard Sparky say. "Since we're both dateless and all, maybe we can go together."

"Sure," Betty accepted. Then she noticed Rodger following them. "Hi Rodger, did you want to say something?"

"I... ah... well... Not really. Um... nice cat. I'm going to finish getting everything ready, see you later," Rodger he walked away.

"Okay, see ya!" Betty was sure Rodger had something to say, but maybe it wasn't that important if it could wait.

End of Planet 69

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**Planet 70: Silver Lining**

Betty got up from her bed and glanced at the alarm clock turning it off after unconsciously hitting the snooze button who knows how many times. "Oh, no I'll be late!" She rushed out of the room. It was Monday morning, time to move back into her dorm and continue her stressful collage life.

Betty went to visit her parents and her grandmother every weekend and returned to the dorm on Monday morning. It was the only way to get to her classes on time without teleporting or using space technology that could get her into trouble if discovered.

At least she had the dorm room all to herself now that Penelope moved into an overprized apartment near the campus. They got on each other's nerves constantly while they were forced to share the room. It was like a war zone in there.

End of Planet 70

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**Planet 71: Freedom**

She had such a perfect life before and now it was all so hard. Balancing academics and being a Galactic Guardian while keeping it in secrecy wasn't easy and it kept on getting harder. She had given up so much to be a Galactic Guardian and it was all so close to being taken away from her. Her parents still didn't know. She had managed to keep the secret from them all those years and she knew she could continue to do so. The problem was that her contract as a Galactic Guardian would eventually end.

Her mission when she first joined was to stop Maximus. Any other task was an additional thing, but the specific intergalactic criminal she was assign to stop was Maximus IQ. She would be commemorated and rewarded when her primary mission was complete and then her service to the Galactic Guardians would be over, unable to pursue a full career due to her planet of origin not being recognized in the galaxy, because of it's lack of establish contact with any other planet. She didn't want to return to a normal life on Earth.

Betty had the chance to arrest Maximus, but she just let him go. Letting him go would mean her contract was still valid despite the new rules of the council, they couldn't break it. She wondered if she had made the right choice.

In order to start communicating with other planets, it was the rule that each planet had to take the first step, that symbolized that its people where ready to know they were not alone in the universe. Until then, only a few chosen ones would be allowed to leave Earth and only temporarily. This had to be done carefully, with the most trust worthy people, so they wouldn't spread the word and either be assumed crazy if they were not believed, or cause a panic if they were, even if being believed was very unlikely.

Admiral Degill had been calling Betty for missions more often, even providing special support agents, new technology and anything she could possibly need to complete her mission in the average time most Galactic Guardians took, but she always did something to let Maximus escape and make it look like an accident.

She hated herself for being so selfish. She was choosing herself over entire galaxies and jeopardizing Earthling's chances of being included in the Galactic Guardians in the future. She was making her home planet look bad after making it look good in the past, but she tried to console herself in the fact that she previously chose those galaxies over herself, so it was a balance right?

Betty gave up love and friendship to be a Galactic Guardian. Noah eventually got tired of her constant disappearances and they grew apart, yet as much as it hurt her, the thought of a regular boring life on Earth hurt her so much more. Dylan didn't really talk to her anymore either, but not Dylan or Noah could replace the freedom of being in space. Her only friends now were Sparky and X-5, and they were enough.

Space travel gave her a certain feeling of freedom that she realized she needed, she couldn't imagine her life without it. She imagined traveling in space for as long as she could remember and then when it came true; it was the best thing that ever happened to her. Until the day when she could find a way to keep her freedom without purposely failing her mission, this was the way things would stay.

Betty turned off the lights and tried to sleep. Suddenly she felt trapped in her room on Earth. She opened the window and looked into the starry night sky, wondering if someone would come to take her off Earth soon. Sparky, X-5, Degill, even Maximus, anyone who had a space ship. She needed to feel the freedom of space to let all the stress out, she wanted to go back into space where she felt she belonged.

What if another Galactic Guardian was chosen to capture Maximus? What if the new Galactic Guardian succeeded? Degill wouldn't allow X-5 or Sparky to come pick her and she would be trapped on Earth forever. She couldn't allow that and she was prepared to make sacrifices to defend her freedom. She made a choice and convinced herself that deep down it was the right thing to do.

End of Planet 71

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**Planet 72: Changes**

She felt like her entire world was being turned upside down. Everything was changing and it made her feel uneasy. Change was inevitable and that it was everywhere, in her job as a Galactic Guardian and in her civilian life on Earth.

Betty let out the yawn she had been suppressing since who knows when. She was a college student and keeping up with college and being a Galactic Guardian wasn't like keeping up with school. She had missed many nights of sleep due to missions and excessive homework. Not to mention tests, quizzes, presentations, finals and what not.

Thinking about it again, some things just never really changed, they appeared to be different, but deep down they where still the same. Her father was still the same workaholic salesman. Her mother was still obsessed with Purrsey. Sparky was more grown up and X-5 had received several updates over the years, but deep down everything was the same.

Betty hasn't seen Noah for a while since he was away at a different college, but they still kept in contact, they were still friends. Penelope was also away, but still made fun of Betty when ever she saw her, when she came to the city for the weekends. There was some distance between them, but it was basically all the same.

Betty was still a Galactic Guardian, much more skilled now. Really there weren't as many differences as she initially thought there would be. Sometimes the way you see things change and makes it look like the world has changed drastically, but it wasn't so drastic after all. It was only a point of view.

Betty's mind wondered off to her test on Monday, when she would receive an email from Noah or Dylan and if she let Maximus escape because she was too tired to stop him or because capturing him would bring too many changes. Those were enough changes for the time being and she didn't want to lose the ability to find the perspective that saw everything as the same.

End of Planet 72

Disclaimer: I do not own Atomic Betty. I write the poems that go with the stories. Planet 67, like most others in this collection, was written before season 3 aired. Planet 68 was inspired by the episode of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends where Bloo catches a cold and turns white. Planet 69 is based on the episode Fur Ball for the Sneeze.


	14. Part 14

Atomic Galaxy

Planet 73: Grim Reaper

She wondered endlessly along the streets of a nearly empty planet, where she was the only living being. Sometimes she wondered why she didn't die. Maybe it's because he wouldn't allow it. Was it for revenge or for hope? She let herself fall to the ground in front of a destroyed house. The ceiling and a large portion of the walls were missing so she could see inside. The beam shot upon the house had destroyed everything inside, even Purrsey.

The bodies were in bad condition, nearly unrecognizable. The smell was horrible and there were probably bacteria all around. She would be ill if she stayed there, but she knew that wouldn't happen. Before she died from any illness that she might pick up, they would find her and bring her back to him. Then they would clean her up from the inside out with their advanced technology and it did eliminate the possibility of having any disease. Betty sat there in front of her destroyed house on Earth, until they came and took her back.

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It was all a big blur. She remembered being conscious for only a few seconds inside a tank full of a familiar liquid. It felt like she was burning, almost dying, but she was in fact being healed. When she woke up, she was in a room similar to a hospital room. How many times had she attempted to escape now? She lost count. Why did she try? There was nothing out there, no one.

"Betty?" She ignored the doctor and covered her head with the white blanket, trying to block out the brightness of the room. The lights were annoying and reflected off the white walls. "Now Betty, it's time for an examination, don't do that." He tried to pull the blanket off her head, but she held it in a tight grip.

Betty was angry and frustrated, it was understandable. The doctor held an odd looking devise that looked slightly like a thermometer with a straw attached on one end and a cable in the other, connected to a bag full of fluorescent green liquid. She snatched the devise from his hand and put it in her mouth, feeling the healing acid invade her system.

"This isn't good," the doctor frowned. "One can only undergo the process so many times before the internal organs begin to suffer. You might start internally bleeding. Betty, too many emergency healing session of this intensity could kill you."

"Not that it'll stop him from ordering it to be done. After all, he wants his little servant girl around, but she can't have any germs that might harm his new vessel." Betty hated what happened and that she wasn't able to stop it.

"He isn't..." The doctor sighed. He knew full well that the risk wouldn't stop her from searching for life. All was lost really, there was no one left to save. They were dead, all of them, the entire galaxy except for those who worked for him. She was the only one left who didn't work for him, who didn't follow him around as if this universe was rightfully his. She was the only one with the courage to oppose him.

"I know," Betty replied, the doctor had said it many times and she knew. He wasn't who he used to be, the real Maximus IQ was only the shadow of death itself.

"For now it's best to play it safe, he knows I disagree with everything he did, but he knows I won't dare to do anything against him," the doctor admitted.

"He also knows I can do nothing to stop him, he's letting me come and go and making me go through this medical torture when I come back. He probably wants me to get killed being healed because Maximus won't let him kill me otherwise. He thinks I can free him but I can't," Betty voiced.

"He's just afraid you got sick while you were out. With so many dead bodies you could. He can't harm you, it is hope that keeps the vessel alive and he can't exist in the same world as us without it. You are that hope," the doctor walked towards the door. He stopped and looked back at the red haired human for a moment, then continued without another word.

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She had fallen asleep and woke up to a servant gently shaking her shoulder. "Atomic Betty, please wake up."

She opened her eyes and glared. "Don't call me that. I'm just another slave here like you, like the doctor, like the solders and like everyone who still lives in this world."

"Goodness no!" The servant was frightened. "Please be the one to save us all. I've heard the emperor, the original emperor, believes you can stop the spirit that took over his body."

"I'm sorry Megan, that's not possible. Everyone is foolish to put their hopes on me, especially Maximus, he realized a power he couldn't control, that power controlled him and destroyed everything. The spirit wants me dead but what's left of Maximus is stopping him, the fool expects me to free him." Betty took the dress that Megan was holding and went to the bathroom to change.

"Betty, why am I alive?" Megan asked when Betty came out.

"Because you were at the wrong place at the wrong time. He saw you with me, we had been forced to be in the same place by that group project, we weren't allowed to choose partners, remember? That's all there is too it. He thought that one of my Earth friends would make a nice servant for. The spirit wanted to keep me around so that the original soul wouldn't lose hope and the vessel wouldn't die," Betty explained.

"But I was saved. If not I would have died with the others. How is the Earth anyway?" Megan inquired.

"A nightmare worse than any horror movie ever made," Betty left the room.

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He stared out the window into space, the endless emptiness now truly empty. They were all gone, all of them. She soon entered the room and stood emotionlessly beside him, waiting for him to say something. "That is the last time you will leave," He spoke with a certainty that almost made her believe it. "For your own good I'll keep you here. It's not good to be out there, the scientists and doctors all said so. That's why we stay here in space where its safe."

"Some ruler you are," Betty didn't take her eyes off the nearly indestructible glass window. "You killed everyone and now you're trapped here as your own prisoner. You don't belong in this world Death. Someday Maximus will stop hoping that things will improve, someday he will let himself die. That's when you will go back to where you belong. You can't exist here if you cannot reside within the body of a mortal. Then I'll make sure the gem is destroyed. You can't stop me because if you hurt me, then Maximus will believe no one can save him and he'll stop trying to live, you won't have a vessel, then someone else will destroy the gem. There's no escape Death."

"At least I accomplished most of my mission. I only want to enjoy it for a little while. It won't matter that I can no longer access your world directly, there will be nothing left." He laughed evilly but it didn't sound the same.

"Pitiful; so very pitiful. You don't even sound as evil as Maximus when he laughed, he put more energy into it." Betty glanced at him to see his angry expression, then looked out the window again. He hated it when she said that a mortal was better than Death at anything.

Enraged, he grabbed her shoulders and made her face him. She reached to touch his face, running a finger over that strange gem stuck in his forehead. The darkness of it felt like a burn, it rooted into his brain, she knew that. He was controlled by the spirit within it and it could not b removed. The spirit was too strong, she had tried several times.

Then she saw him for just a moment, the real Maximus, trapped in his own body with the spirit of Death that he foolishly released in search for power. He was frightened, but he held on to one last hope, that Atomic Betty somehow got rid of the spirit. It was that very hope that kept him alive and therefore kept the spirit in this world.

If only he would let go of life itself, if only he would have done so before it was too late, but Maximus wasn't one for self sacrifice. Then his look darkened and Maximus' consciousness was pushed back. "I hate you. He forbids me to kill you, as if you could set him free. Ridiculous, you can never defeat me. But if I did kill you, he would send me away from this universe. Unless he decided to continue being selfish and think that someone else might come along who can help him."

"This won't last forever, Maximus IQ no matter what he says, is no immortal," Betty assured.

"Not before my mission is over," he let her go and turned away to look at the emptiness once more.

End of Planet 73

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty. 


	15. Part 15

Atomic Galaxy

**Planet 74: How to Recharge a Battery**

"Take that and that! Oh look, I won again," Maximus yawned in boredom and thought about the possibility of taking a nap to pass the time. He didn't feel like doing anything evil right now. It was one of those lazy days when he didn't feel like doing anything except watch TV, sleep and play video games. Even with all the channels in the universe, he couldn't find anything good to watch right now. He had a new handheld game he wanted to play, but the fun part about a portable game is that it's portable. This one was meant to be portable, but wasn't.

Maximus wanted to be able to walk all round his lair while playing his game and annoying random guards. Childish as it may sound, it was fun and helped him during times of evil villain's block. Of course that wasn't possible if he couldn't walk holding the game further than the battery's charging cable allowed. He set the little handheld to charge, the light of the screen was off but the percent of energy contained in the battery was still shown on the screen. It read one percent.

Maximus restarted the online Atomic Betty game he had been playing, while waiting for the other game to charge and tried again. That battery had been charging for so long and it only had one percent. When he heard it was supposed to last extra long, he thought the battery would last a long time, but he didn't think it would be the same for charging time. He hated to admit it, but his boredom had made him surf the net in search of something to do and that is how he found this little game. He was actually playing an Atomic Betty game because he was so bored.

Minimus had come by, wondering why Maximus hasn't called him in such a long time. The sidekick stood at the door and watched in amazement as Maximus played the game, moving a little Atomic Betty around the screen, making her shoot lasers at the enemies that floated her way. Minimus quickly left, knowing that this was not a good time to interrupt.

Maximus didn't lose at the game, not even once, which is actually quite surprising because he never won video games on his first try. He was disappointed to see that the final battle was against Nuclea and not himself. But he came up with a theory to explain that. If he was the villain then there's no way the little pixel Atomic Betty could win and no one would want to play the game. Maximus convinced himself that was the reason.

He yawned as he guided the little Atomic Betty on the screen, safely around the many meteors. She shot a laser from her bracelet when ever he pressed the A key. Maximus had played the game so many times he could make it past the meteors without even looking at screen and hit all the enemies. He had even made her crash on purpose a few times for amusement.

"Victory number million billion gazillion for me. A little virtual me is the only one that can beat Atomic Betty. No matter how good the player is, if I was the final enemy, no one would win this game." Maximus continued playing for lack of anything better to do. Then he checked his handheld game, surely the battery must be fully charged by then, but the battery was only at two percent.

Maximus spun around on his chair out of boredom and as his view moved around his room he noticed two things. His pet was still sleeping and he saw something he thought was lost. He couldn't wake up his cute little pet. The adorable Earth kitten, which he didn't know came from Earth, needed his nap. Maximus would wait until he woke up on his own to play with him. Other than that there was that little bottle of evil potion that turned out to be anti evil potion after all.

He picked up the empty bottle from a pile of random things and threw it in the trash. That potion had caused enough trouble for him. When people ask for medicine they usually say something like 'I want some headache medicine' but what they mean is that they want medicine against headaches, not medicine that causes headaches. It appears his words were not interpreted how they were meant, if it was intentional or not he didn't know.

Maximus took another look at the battery and it had not changed from two percent. He couldn't play that online game anymore. If he played as Atomic Betty one more time, it would drive him insane. He wasn't sure how he was able to play for this long. It was the things that boredom made him do. Maybe he could chat for a while and entertain himself with that.

He logged in and found that only Nuclea was online. He wondered where everyone else was, probably less bored than him. How dare they be less bored than him? He was the leader of the super villains and the most evil of all. He would have to give them a speech about that later.

'Supreme Emperor' and '3n3rgy' aka Maximus IQ and Nuclea chatted for a while, or rather made faces by the use of emoticons. They had nothing to talk about so they just made faces at each other. 'Two Face' aka Minimus PU joined the villain's chat also, until Maximus told him to come clean his room before his precious pet got lost in all the random stuff. He glanced at the sleeping kitten again, just to make sure he was still there sleeping soundly on his pillow. Maximus couldn't get himself to tell him to get off the bed, he was just too cute.

Minimus cleaned up Maximus' room even if he knew it wouldn't last a day organized, which was something that he said and earned him a hit on the head. Leaving the battery to continue charging after seeing it had only three percent, Maximus took a nap. His pet kitten woke him up later with a high pitched meow in his ear. After feeding his cute little pet, he played with him for a while and finally went to check on that battery once more, only to find it had four percent.

"It's never going to finish!" Maximus was frustrated, but he had decided that the battery would be fully charged today and because he was so stubborn so it shall be! "I need to think like a villain." Anyone would change a battery by simply plugging it in, but how would a true super villain do it? He suddenly got an idea. "Minimus!"

"You called your evilness?" Minimus asked as he arrived.

"I want you to hold this and go answer the door," Maximus unplugged the game and handed it to Minimus.

"Can I play with it?" Minimus asked.

"No!" Maximus hit his sidekick on the head. "Just hold it and go answer the door when the door bell rings."

Minimus wasn't sure what was going on, but he did as Maximus said anyway.

Once Minimus was gone, Maximus returned to the chat to find '3n3rgy' (Nuclea) discussing the latest gossip with 'Frozen Beauty' (Iciclea) and 'Mermaid' (Pontifadora). He opened a window to talk to Nuclea alone. "You know what Minimus said?"

"What did he say and why are you telling me, unless he said something about me? What did he say about me? He had better not said Iciclea is better than me. Sure I put up with her, we even gossip and go shopping together, but I'm the better villainess. Don't you agree? Of course you do. C'mon I have lightning at my command. She only has ice. So what if she has a big ice castle and I don't. So what if she had more fans then me and even a sidekick, but that doesn't mean anything, right? Neither does the fact that she has more experience fighting Atomic Betty. So anyway, did you hear the latest gossip? It's about-" Nuclea had written too much and the chat program didn't allow anymore after she reached the limit.

"STOP!" Maximus typed adding a little dizzy emoticon to emphasize and using all caps to indicate he's yelling. Nuclea could sure type fast and she was getting off topic. "Minimus didn't say anything about Iciclea, he only said that he thinks your electric power is weak. I tried to tell him to stop saying such things, but he said that he's sure all your electricity is just a light show."

"How dare he say that? That's not true!" Nuclea went into a rant about her electric powers, which quickly flooded Maximus's screen. "I'll be right there to teach him a lesson," was the last thing she typed before logging off.

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Not too long after that, Minimus answered the door and received a massive shook of electricity. He coughed smoke and fell on the floor twitching and full of static. Nuclea left without saying a word.

Maximus walked over to Minimus and picked up the handheld game. The battery was charged to one hundred percent. That was fast. Maximus would have to do the same thing for his communicator, laser gun, light saber and everything else that needed its battery recharged.

End of Planet 74

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**Planet 75: Resisting Change**

Atomic Betty's Point of View

Most of the time everything goes well in our missions, everything goes as it should, as we planned. But every now and then my crew and I find ourselves in trouble. Of course, we've been in hard situations before and have gotten out of them, most of the time by our selves. But there is that rare occasion when we need help. It is in those rare cases that I called my grandmother to help us. But that was a long time ago.

Granny's still young on the inside, still full of energy and life, but I guess I need to understand that the body doesn't always move as fast as the mind thinks. She's still skilled, all her experience as a Galactic Guardian comes in handy, but still I can't help it but to wonder what if? What if she gets hurt? What if she gets captured? I'll never forgive myself if anything like that happens. Thankfully it hasn't. I know Granny still has what it takes to be a Galactic Guardian, but I'm afraid that there might come a point when she won't be able to assist us.

It's a little strange to be afraid of something that I've known all along. People age, I will too someday. I don't want to depend too much on Granny but sometimes I can't help it but to find myself in a situation where I need her help. I must admit it's a lot of fun to watch her in action. It's fun to work together, but I need to accept that's not the way it was meant to be. So I tried harder not to find myself in that situation. I've tried, I've trained, I've become a better Galactic Guardian. I haven't been in need to call Granny for a long time now. I still visit her, she understands me better than anyone else in my family and no one can replace her.

Maybe that's why I wasn't very happy when Admiral Degill added a new feature to my bracelet. If I am ever in trouble, if my crew and is ever captured, then I can press a new button on my bracelet and a silent signal will be sent. Someone will come to help us, the forth member of our team who's presence will only be requested when needed. A new position within the Galactic Guardians, there's one for every team, an extra Atomic. Of course I politely told the admiral we didn't need a forth member. But he explained that I couldn't keep pulling my grandmother out of retirement all the time and that's when it sunk in. I've been calling Granny into dangerous situations, dangerous enough for me and my crew to not be able to handle alone but the four of us together, that's what made the difference.

I guess maybe I'm just resisting change. Everything has changed in my life, on Earth since high school ended. Everyone's off to college somewhere, even me, even if the only thing I really want to do is be a full time Galactic Guardian. I've been taking few classes to allow plenty of time to work with the Galactic Guardians. If mom and dad knew they would wonder why I don't take more classes. They might be disappointed, thinking I waste all that time doing nothing or going from random wild party to random wild party. But if they knew the truth, if they knew that I'm a defender of this universe, they would be proud. That's what Granny told me, I believe her.

At least Noah and I are in the same college, but he takes more classes than me. I guess he has more time since he's not running off to save the universe every day like I am. There's always a mission big or small and I've told the admiral to call me any time. That's why I took this schedule, so I could be a Galactic Guardian everyday, most of the day. Noah is still my best Earth friend, it's those little details that stay the same that I hang on to. Maybe that's why I haven't become more than just friends with him. I don't want things to change. Since high school ended everything has been moving very fast.

That brings me back to the reason I didn't want that forth member on our team. Sure he would only come when he's needed and in that case I'll make sure he isn't. Admiral Degill didn't tell me much except how to contact him on a mission and how to contact him on his Galactic Guardian watch. I guess he assumed I would contact him so we could get to know each other, but I didn't. All my friends from the Galactic Guardians have their teams, so I know it can't be any of them. From what I heard it's a new guy. How is that helpful? I'm much more experienced; I bet I'll have to get him out of trouble. Then again, four instead of three might make a big difference. But I don't want my crew to change.

It's not that I fear being replaced, I know I won't be. I know Sparky and X-5 will always care for me and I will care for them, but I want us to stay the same. I want to hold on to this detail that didn't change. I know change is inevitable, but I can't help it but to wonder what if I can stop this change. I'll certainly try. Sparky and X-5 immediately agreed. If I didn't like this mystery guy, neither did they. They trusted my judgment so much, maybe too much. But improving our team, our real team of three, wouldn't hurt. We were never in need of assistance since we decided we didn't like Atomic Mystery, who ever he is.

Then the inevitable happened and I must admit I was happy it did. Admiral Degill said it was clear we didn't need help. My bracelet was reprogrammed to send a silent signal to the Galactic Guardians Headquarters in case of emergencies instead of having a Galactic Guardian assigned specifically to help our team. As for this mystery boy, he was given a job at HQ, nothing big, office work, processing records, training schedules, assisting the admiral in anything he may need. Sometimes helping refuel the ships and give them maintenance, a lot of little things. I feel like I've been unfair.

Maybe if I wasn't so stubbornly holding on to the details that haven't changed, I would have met a really nice guy. Maybe he would fit in our team and the four of us will become good friends. Maybe this is the kind of change that happens for the better. I know not all change is bad, but I guess I couldn't help it but to jump to conclusions and think this one was.

I regretted it the next day, when Noah confronted me about it. Noah of all people, he was the one assigned to help us every now and then. He would not only help us when needed, but we were also to help him become better accustomed with being a Galactic Guardian since we're much more experienced than him. He thought I knew it was him, he thought I just didn't want to be around him so I pushed my team to be perfect so we never needed any help. I should have noticed the signs. He was becoming more distant on Earth with every passing day. He was wondering if I didn't bring up the subject of the Galactic Guardians because I didn't think he was good enough and if I didn't want to talk about it, then he wouldn't bother me about it.

I told him I didn't know it was him. I told him that if I knew, that would have made things very different. He told me everyone makes mistakes. He was relieved to know that I didn't know it as him, that I wasn't excluding him on purpose. I talked to Admiral Degill about it and requested that Noah became a permanent member of our team. Of course, I consulted this with Sparky and X-5 first and they agreed. They had only briefly met Noah in person before he became a Galactic Guardian, but I had told them about him, so they knew a lot more about Noah than he knew about Sparky and X-5.

The fact still remained that we didn't really need a fourth member on our team, we had become exceptionally good. Maybe we had this potential all the time but I didn't guide the team to develop it because I enjoyed working with Granny, even if the risks never left my mind. Admiral Degill agreed to let Noah join anyway. He couldn't think of another better team to help train this new Galactic Guardian. Fortunately, everything worked out for us.

End POV

End of Planet 75

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**Planet 76: Couch Potato**

"Minimus where's my popcorn?" Maximus yelled not taking his eyes off the screen. They better answer the questions about him right in that celebrity game shop. Other than that, the other reason he was watching was in case they asked something about Atomic Betty and he could use that information against her later.

"It's right there your evilness," Minimus pointed at the oversized bucket of popcorn on a small table next to the couch where Maximus was sitting, watching the big screen TV.

For just a small moment Maximus glanced to his right where the bucket of popcorn was and tried to reach for it without getting up. "Idiot! Why did you put it so far away? Come here!" Even if Minimus knew what was coming, he walked over to Maximus and just as expected, his head was sent spinning. "Now bring me my popcorn and don't forget to take notes when they say something that can be used against the Galactic Guardians!"

"Yes, your laziness," Minimus replied with his angry face, while giving him the popcorn.

"What did you say?" Maximus wasn't paying much attention, but he thought he heard something that sounded like the word 'lazy' and he wasn't lazy, he was a hard working super villain.

Minimus changed back to normal, "nothing, your evilness."

"I thought so," Maximus started eating handful after handful of popcorn. "Minishmuf bling mesh af ding!"

"Pardon, your evilness?" Minimus was confused. Didn't anyone ever tell Maximus not to talk with his mouth full?

"I said, bring me a drink, the popcorn is too salty and tell chef Bernadette to make the next bucket of popcorn caramel covered." Maximus had sat in front of the TV for the last four days eating sweet and salty unhealthy treats. Minimus guessed the sugar kept him awake all that time. It proved that even super villains needed to spend an excessive amount of time in front of the TV potatoing the couch every now and then.

End of Planet 76

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**Planet 77: Memory Lane **(DegillxPontifadora)

"You know you'll be in a lot of trouble if they catch you here" Degill paced around his office.

"Relax Gilly, I can get in and out of HQ totally unnoticed. Besides, if I am discovered, all you have to do is pretend you didn't invite me." Pontifadora examined the desk's contents.

"I didn't invite you to come here and I didn't tell you that you could look at my personal belongings," Degill rushed over to close a drawer she had opened.

"I'm just curious and you have nothing to hide so it's okay. Besides aren't you happy I came to visit, Gilly?"

"Yes, I am happy to see you, but we should meet somewhere else." Degill insisted.

There was a knock on the door followed by Atomic Rodger's voice. "Admiral Degill!"

Degill looked from the door to Pontifadora. "Relax, you're too stressed all the time," she whispered. "I'll stay hidden," she ducked under the desk.

Admiral Degill tried to look normal and opened the door to find Atomic Rodger who saluted. "Admiral Degill, I'm done with all my missions and on stand by. Are there any other missions for me today?"

"No, take the rest of the day off," Degill quickly replied and Atomic Rodger saluted and happily left.

"Let's go roast marshmallows in a camp fire like we used to," Pontifadora came out from under the desk.

Degill remembered sitting in front of a camp fire under the stars with Pontifadora when he was younger. His career as a Galactic Guardian was doing great and he had her. Life was as close as it got to perfect back then and he wished it never changed, but everything changed on that day when he was supposed to get married. One day he would have to have a long talk with Pontifadora about why she was hunting down the guests. But for now he wanted to do what he used to do, enjoy the moment and pretend it's going to last forever.

End of Planet 77

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**Planet 78: Elevator**

"I think we've learned an important lesson today," X-5 pointed out. "When chasing a super villain around his lair, never chase him into an elevator."

The elevator once again became silent after the robot's statement, until Sparky complained. "I'm hungry!"

"Sorry, Sparky, there's not food here. We'll have to wait until the elevator moves." Atomic Betty had tried to cut a hole on the elevator, but it didn't work. She tried to press all the buttons and nothing happened, there was electricity, the elevator just wasn't moving.

"Another lesson we have learned today is that most prototypes fail," X-5 never trusted the design of the new high tech elevator made for the Galactic Guardians Headquarters, which Maximus stole and installed on his lair.

"I'm hungry," Sparky complained again. By now the five people in the elevator were starting to get hungry after being trapped for so long, but Sparky was the hungriest of all.

"I know Sparky, I know, but you have to try to be patient," Betty replied.

"I'm so hungry I can smell chocolate," Sparky took a deep breath. "I do smell chocolate!" He looked at Maximus who was standing in a corner facing the wall of the elevator. "Maximus, you have chocolate!"

"Too late I already ate it! Maybe if you only had one stomach you wouldn't be so hungry all the time," Maximus mocked, but Sparky kept looking at him hungrily. "I demand that you keep that little cannibal away from me!" Maximus pointed a laser gun at Sparky.

"Sparky's not a cannibal, he's just hungry." Atomic Betty watched Sparky chewed on the laser gun.

"He's always hungry, but I must admit I've never seen him this hungry. I believe it is not only his hunger, but also being trapped in here for so long that is making him act so insane. We have been trapped in here for over five hours," X-5 informed. "I believe the situation has made Sparky go back to his basic survival instincts when he smelled the chocolate. All we can do is try to keep him calm."

"I'll try to keep him under control. Come here Sparky, that's it good boy." Betty sat down on the floor and Sparky laid his head on her lap, chewing on the laser gun and occasionally growling in Maximus' direction.

Betty kept looking at her bracelet to see what time it was and how the signal was doing. Every time she looked, the bracelet's status indicated there was no signal available from her current location because of the elevator's systems blocking it.

Time passed slowly as they sat there and the elevator became very hot. "Can't you do anything about the temperature?" Betty asked.

"No, if I could do something I would have already done it, but the controls don't work." Maximus was annoyed, but he didn't yell, not wanting to get Sparky's attention.

Betty removed her helmet, feeling like her brain was being cooked in it, but it didn't help much. Shouldn't elevators have an escape door for emergencies? But of course this one didn't have it, it was just a prototype after all. The heat continued and it was becoming unbearable. Suddenly, in the quiet hot elevator there was a small explosion coming from X-5. "What happened?" Betty quickly asked. Sparky growled and she petted his head to keep him calm.

"I'm over heating," X-5 revealed. "My cooling system isn't enough for this temperature. I need to shut down."

Betty nodded, "I'll make sure you're alright," X-5 shut down and all was quiet once more in the uncomfortable hot elevator where Sparky had miraculously fallen asleep, exhausted from hunger.

"When I get out of here I'll install electric stairs instead of elevator. There will be no more elevators in my lair," Maximus decided.

"So if there's a problem you can walk the rest of the way?" Minimus asked even if the answer sounded obvious.

"No, so you can carry me the rest of the way," Maximus corrected.

Suddenly the air conditioner was randomly activated. Now that the temperature improved Maximus, curled up in a corner and took a nap, purring in his sleep. He told Minimus to make sure Atomic Betty didn't escape and to wake him up if the elevator did anything. With Sparky and Maximus sleeping and X-5 still deactivated that left Minimus and Betty as the only people awake in the elevator.

X-5 later rebooted when he detected the change in temperature. Then Sparky woke up and continued complaining about being hungry. At least this time there was no smell of food to make him go crazy. The change in temperature was good at first, but then it started getting so cold they were freezing, which woke up Maximus.

Just when they thought they would turn into icicles and not come out of this alive, the elevator doors suddenly opened and they all ran out. "I'm starving, can we go eat?" Sparky begged.

"We have to finish our mission," Atomic Betty put her helmet back on and composed herself, taking a deep breath, she really just wanted to go home, but she had to accomplish her duty.

"Do you think I still want to keep that elevator after all this? I don't want it anymore, you can take it back. Minimus go tell the guards to get rid of that elevator and install electric stairs instead," Maximus ordered.

"In that case we'll take the elevator back," X-5 said.

"Good, then we're set to go as soon as it's uninstalled and loaded in the Starcruiser. Where's Sparky?" Betty noticed he was gone.

Then the obvious answer came to Betty and X-5 at the same time. "The kitchen," they unanimously voiced.

After Chef Bernadette finally managed to chase Sparky out of the kitchen and the elevator was uninstalled and placed in the Starcruiser, Betty, Sparky and X-5 returned to the Galactic Guardians HQ where Sparky ate all the food in the cafeteria.

End of Planet 78

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**Planet 79: Revenge**

Everything was quiet save for the sound of typing. Betty was the first to finish her computer class work. She saved everything and sent it to the teacher. "How are you doing Noah?"

"I think I'm getting it. Thanks for explaining yesterday," Noah replied.

"No problem, sorry for being so late to meet you," Betty said.

"It's okay, you got there and that's what matters," Noah was starting to get used to Betty's constant lateness, but at least she got there.

Suddenly Betty's bracelet chimed; at least she had already finished her work so she used the classic restroom excuse and left the classroom. The halls were empty and once she was sure no one was coming, she answered the call. "Atomic Betty, reporting for duty!" She saluted automatically, not taking the time to look at the image in the hologram. "Maximus?" She finally noticed it wasn't Admiral Degill.

"I called to say that I will take my revenge on you today," Maximus sounded more evil than usual.

"What do you plan to do?" Betty asked seriously.

"I won't tell you, but I assure you everything is ready and no one will be able to stop me, it's already too late. I only called to say goodbye. Enjoy your last time alive Atomic Betty!" The hologram disappeared, indicating Maximus ended the communication.

Could he have used her bracelet to find out where she is? But they told her at headquarters that even if he could contact her, he couldn't use it to pinpoint her location. They told her there was nothing to worry about. Then what could be happening? Betty immediately called Admiral Degill and explained the situation.

"This is serious," Admiral Degill was concerned. "As a precaution don't stay on Earth. If Maximus really is tracking your bracelet, maybe won't attack if he knows you're off the planet." The Galactic Guardians were put on full alert.

After having spoken to Admiral Degill, Betty didn't know why but she felt like returning to the classroom for a moment. She didn't want to think of it as a final goodbye to Noah, but the way Maximus sounded this time was different and it worried her.

As Betty walked to the classroom, suddenly everything became dark. Oh no, it was happening. Maximus did know where she lived and he was going to blow up the entire planet, this was a sure sign of it. The electricity was one of the first things to go in cases of disasters. But Betty couldn't do anything from there, she was beamed up to the Starcruiser and they headed directly to Maximus lair. She had to save the earth somehow.

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"Everyone is jumping to conclusions too quickly," X-5, the only one who didn't panic possibly because he disabled that function, tried to be logical.

"But X-5, Maximus was so different this time. He looked truly evil and that worries me a lot," Atomic Betty was trying to stay calm, but her mind was haunted by images of her home planet blowing up.

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Betty, Sparky and X-5 arrived at Maximus and Betty rung the doorbell. Maximus came to the door and opened it, wondering who could be visiting. "Atomic Betty?"

"Tell me what is the revenge you planned to take?" Atomic Betty glared.

Maximus looked a little confused at first then got a look of pure evil in his face. "I shall take the most evil revenge ever!" Then he laughed in amusement. "I took acting lessons, not that I needed them. I wanted to know how evil I could look and you fell for it!"

"That's it, it was a joke?" Betty was in disbelief.

Maximus would have told her that even if this time it was just a test of his acting skills, he was still going to have his revenge, but he was laughing too much to speak. Betty remembered when the director said Maximus needed acting lessons, well they certainly worked.

"Sparky, X-5 let's go tell everyone it was nothing." Betty and her crew left. As for the black out on Earth, it had been due to an electric problem in the building.

End of Planet 79

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**Planet 80: Brat**

"Minimus, Where's my breakfast?" Maximus yelled from the table.

Minimus came running in with his food. "Here it is your evilness."

"What took you so long?" Maximus stabbed a fork into the food as if he wanted to kill it, even if it wasn't alive.

"I had to wait for Chef Bernadette to cook," Minimus replied as a matter of fact.

"I want more juice!" Maximus almost threw the empty glass at his sidekick who fortunately caught it or else he would most likely get blamed for breaking the glass.

"What kind of juice do you want your evilness?" Minimus tried to avoid a hit to the head if he brought the wrong kind. He could just get the same kind he was drinking before, but when Maximus was in a bad mood, he was totally unpredictable and could have changed his mind and decided he wanted different kind of juice.

"Idiot!" Maximus hit Minimus on the head. "What kind of a sidekick are you? You're supposed to know by now what kind of juice I like to drink with this particular kind of breakfast! Now go get my juice!"

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Minimus ran to the kitchen. "Do you know what kind of juice the boss likes with the breakfast you made today?" Minimus asked Bernadette.

Chef Bernadette was currently experiencing a bad headache. "A culinary artist like me cannot take all this noise and no, I don't know what kind of juice he likes with pancakes, he always drinks a different kind."

"What am I, a mind reader?" Minimus' angry face complained.

"Minimus, my juice!" Maximus' voice echoed all over the lair, making Bernadette's headache grow worse.

"I'm coming, your evilness!" Minimus called back.

Chef Bernadette filed the glass with some juice taking a guess about what Maximus would want to drink. Shortly after Minimus came back with the glass on his head and the juice all over himself. Needless to say that wasn't the kind Maximus wanted.

"I can't take this anymore!" Bernadette concluded. "Either he controls his temper or I quit!"

Minimus begged. "No, don't quit! Maximus is in a bad mood today but it'll pass!" If Chef Bernadette quit, then surely Minimus would get blamed, he always got blamed for everything. "In a few thousand years," his angry face added.

Chef Bernadette sighed and shook her head. At least she knew that no matter how bad things got, there would be someone worse off. Minimus was everyone's consolation in that sense.

End of Planet 80

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty. About planet 76, "perhaps Robin would like to potato the couch with us," I'm not sure if that's the exact quote but Starfire said something like that in Teen Titans. Planet 78 was requested by Invader Iza, the concept was being stuck in an elevator.


	16. Part 16

Atomic Galaxy

Planet 81: Date Interrupted

At an intergalactic mall, "what do you think of this outfit, Gilly?" A younger Pontifadora asked.

Her boyfriend Degill, who was not yet the admiral of the Galactic Guardians at that time, looked bored, "it's nice."

"That's what you said about all the others!" Pontifadora complained. Two hours of watching her try on clothes and he was already bored. How could he?

"Everything you wear looks nice on you," Degill suppressed a yawn, he loved Pontifadora, he really did, but he had been sitting there for two hours and his tail was starting to hurt, those chairs in that store weren't exactly the softest in the galaxy.

Iciclea walked near the same store where Pontifadora and Degill were and went in.

"I just saw Iciclea!" Degill exclaimed.

"I'm right here in front of you and you're looking at her?" Pontifadora was annoyed.

"I don't mean it like that, she's a criminal and I must arrest her or I'll never get promoted in the Galactic Guardians!" Degill explained.

"You're not working today!" Pontifadora reminded him.

"A Galactic Guardian is always on duty!" Degill saluted dramatically.

"Gilly, you promised me that you wouldn't work during our dates!" Pontifadora argued, while Iciclea stole clothes from the store. The fish woman picked up her boyfriend and held him back.

"She's getting away! I'll take you on another date just let me arrest Iciclea!" Degill complained but Pontifadora didn't let him go and Iciclea left. "There goes my promotion."

Pontifadora shook her head, "one of these days I'm going to start doing my job in the middle of an important occasion and let's see what you do then..."

End of Planet 81

Disclaimer, I do not own Atomic Betty.


	17. Part 17

Atomic Galaxy

**Planet 82: Bubblegum Beauty**

Everything was quiet in the galaxy for a reason unknown to Betty. She wondered if the super villains of the universe were planning something big. Most of them were known to take a week or so off after a defeat, all except Maximus who was probably the most stubborn of all the villains. It was strange that he hasn't done anything evil for days. Betty was on her guard, expecting to be called any second.

Until it was time for another mission, Betty spent some time with her friends on Earth, Noah and Paloma. The three of them had finished eating lunch and were hanging out in the school yard. Paloma was listening to music and dancing as if she felt like she was the only one there; the music had taken her to her own little world.

Noah was playing with a yoyo, trying to do some new complicated tricks, but the yoyo kept getting tangled up. He didn't give up, he would get it right eventually. He had brought a little remote control helicopter which he let Betty borrow.

After flying it around for a while, Betty took a break and landed the toy helicopter. The lunch hour would soon be over, but before it was, she wanted some bubblegum. Without giving it too much thought, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a blue gumball. She put it in her mouth and started to chew, she knew it might not be such a good idea, but the temptation to make a bubble was too much. Betty blew a bubble and made it bigger, and bigger. Maybe she should have stopped, but she wanted to see how big the bubble could be, so she made it even bigger and bigger, until the inevitable happened, the bubble popped, covering Betty's face with blue gum.

Noah and Paloma looked at the blue faced Betty, then started laughing. Betty joined in as well; she should have known this would happen.

Before Betty could clean off the gum, Penelope walked by, she looked at Betty, then ran off angrily. Anyone would think she would laugh to see Betty defeated by her own bubblegum. Maybe she thought it was something else.

The school bell rang and the students headed to their respective classrooms. Betty and Noah had a few classes together, but not the one right after lunch, so they went their separate ways. Paloma was in the same classroom as Betty for the next hour so the two girls were walked to their classroom joking about how hard it was to get the gum off Betty's face. Noah had been waiting outside the entire time and said he had started to worry that they got lost in the girl's bathroom because they took so long to come out and both girls were known to randomly disappear. At least Betty was all clean when it was finally over.

As Betty and Paloma turned a corner and were about to enter the classroom, they heard the scream of a very frightened boy. "That was Noah," Betty ran to see what happened.

"What?" Penelope snapped.

"No-Nothing" Noah stammered.

"It better be nothing" Penelope stomped away, her face was covered in some sticky stuff in an odd shade of green. 'If Betty puts on a beauty mask during the lunch hour, I will too,' Penelope had thought. 'There's no way she'll become prettier than me. Not even with all the beauty products in the world.'

"Noah, are you okay?" Betty asked.

"Did you see Penelope? For a minute, I thought it a radioactive monster!" Noah was still in shock.

The two girls laughed. "It was Penelope, so it was worse," Paloma voiced.

"Yeah, you're right, a monster would probably be nicer," Noah agreed.

"I wonder why she was wearing that stuff in her face? Couldn't she wait until she got home or something?" Betty shook her head, Penelope Lang, the most popular girl in school and also the most spoiled and bratty, would always be a mystery.

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Meanwhile in Maximus' lair, "I don't think that's such a good idea your evilness," Minimus watched Maximus make a bubblegum bubble.

Maximus looked like he was saying something but it was impossible to understand him with the bubble in his mouth, yet somehow Minimus understood.

"Yes, I know you haven't done that in years, but maybe it's a good thing you haven't. Remember what happened last time?" Minimus warned.

As expected, Maximus didn't take the warning and continued blowing a bigger bubble. This was high-tech futuristic bubblegum, which could make much bigger bubbles than Earth's outdated bubblegum. Nevertheless, even if the bubble could reach a size that was illogically big for the amount of gum it was made from, it would eventually pop. "Ah! Minimus! Get this stuff off me!"

"I told you, you shouldn't have done it. Now it'll take forever to clean that stuff off," Minimus's normal face said. "It serves you right!" His angry face added.

"Shut up and get it off!" Maximus yelled.

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**Planet 83: Frozen Hearts (PenelopexDylan)**

"It's... soo-o... cc-ol-d..." Penelope Lang didn't think she would find herself in this situation when she decided to set the air conditioner to maximum. She was pretty sure that the AC was working far beyond what it normally should, even with the power to the max. Of course that was her fault for breaking the controls, but she blamed Betty anyway.

There would be a very important basketball game for the girl's team. If Betty was there, she was sure to win the most valuable player award, which Penelope wanted for herself. She couldn't possibly learn to play better than Betty in a life time, let alone a day, so the only way was to eliminate the competition.

Lucky for Penelope, Betty's mom's cat, Purrsey had stolen her homework and ran off with it towards the school's basement. Many sheets of paper containing Betty's hard work were dropped all over the basement as Purrsey ran. Noah and Paloma offered to help and with them on the search, it looked like Betty would have her homework back in no time, unless Penelope could stop her. If Betty didn't hand in her assignment on time, she wouldn't be allowed to participate in the game tomorrow.

Somehow, Betty, Noah and Paloma made it out of the cold dark basement and recovered all the homework. Meanwhile Penelope got locked in the same room in which she broke the air conditioner's controls, which was like a refrigerator now. Surely Penelope would catch a bad cold and miss tomorrow's game. Then Betty the ball hog would be there to steal all the glory that should have been hers.

"C-caan... any-oo-nee... he-he-ar m-mee?" Penelope could see her breath as she tried to get those words out. She should have sent Sarah or Megan to change the air conditioner's temperature but she wanted the satisfaction of doing it herself. This wasn't supposed to happen, Betty and her friends should be the ones freezing.

Penelope sat in a corner, waiting for someone to rescue her. The classes had ended for the day but the school remained opened for a few more hours. Most students were either gone, playing sports or practicing various extra curricular activities. The halls were practically deserted. Sarah and Megan had already gone home thinking Penelope was gone too.

"Penelope?" A voice? Could it be that someone had come to rescue her or was it all a nice dream?

"Dy-la-an?" Yes, it was him! He had come to her rescue, well sort of.

"Did you do this? Why?" Dylan asked.

Penelope couldn't tell him the truth, but right now there was one thing that was more important to her. "Do-or!" But it was too late, Dylan had gone inside and let the door close behind him.

Wondering what Penelope meant and fearing the worse, Dylan tried to open the door and found that he couldn't. It could only be opened from the outside. "It looks like we're going to be here for a while."

"We'll di-e... fro-zeeen..." Penelope was becoming desperate.

"The janitor has to come turn the air conditioner off before closing the school for the night. He'll be here in a few hours and let us out," Dylan sat down next to her and prepared for a long wait.

Penelope remained silent for a while, waiting. She was too cold to think of any conversation to make with Dylan, until she felt something warm on her shoulders. "Dy-lan... your jacke-et?"

"You've been here longer than I have, so you're colder, you need it more," Dylan said.

"Tha-nks" Penelope smiled. Maybe turning into an icicle wasn't so bad if she was with dreamy Dylan.

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**Planet 84: Feline Eyes**

Atomic Betty was in space in her final mission of the day. While she was busy with a battle against Maximus, Paloma and Noah were on Earth searching for Betty's homework. Purrsey had stolen the homework and ran into the school's basement, leaving pages of homework everywhere as he ran.

If Betty was to play in the basketball game the next day, she had to hand in her homework on time. Trying to steal the most valuable player award from Betty, Penelope decided to set a few traps for them in the basement. She turned off the lights, she changed the temperature, she did anything she could do to stop Betty, Noah and Paloma from accomplishing their mission.

Paloma knew that things would turn out well in the end, they always did. She didn't need to use her ability to look into the future to know that. While they searched, she snuck away from Noah.

The boy looked around a bit confused. "Paloma?" She was nowhere to be found, which meant he had been talking to himself for the past minute or so, thinking Paloma was right behind him. "Great, first Betty disappears and now Paloma. What's wrong with me?" What started as a search for pages of homework and the cat who stole them, ended up as a search for pages of homework, the cat who stole them, the girl who was supposed to hand them in and the girl who volunteered to help look from them.

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Paloma had found Purrsey. "It's okay Purrsey, come here."

Sir Purrsefus guarded the last page of homework, refusing to let anyone take it from him.

"C'mon Purrsey, I wont hurt you." Paloma came closer and Purrsey hissed. "It's alright, don't be frightened." Her eyes changed to orange feline eyes.

Purrsey didn't look scared, he was curious. He had met aliens before, when he accidentally boarded Betty's ship and learned that only the ones that looked like vacuum cleaners were dangerous.

"That's it Purrsey, come here." Paloma smiled as the cat approached curiously. She picked him up and petted him gently. "Good boy!" He purred happily and didn't mind that she took away the last page of homework.

"Paloma!" She heard Noah calling and went to find him.

"I'm over here!" Paloma replied. "I found Purrsey and the last page of homework."

End?

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty. Planets 82, 83 and 84 are based on the Gameboy Advance videogame.


	18. Part 18

Atomic Galaxy

**Planet 85: Lullaby**

"Sparky, it's lunch time!" Zulia was certain her son would be at the table in less than a second, but he didn't even answer. "Sparky, hurry up before it gets cold," again there was no answer. The house felt so empty, but Sparky said he would be there for lunch. Maybe he went out unnoticed and would be back soon, but Zulia couldn't help it but to get an uneasy feeling about this. There was no way Sparky would miss lunch on purpose. Maybe he was with X-5 and he was eating so many snacks he lost track of time.

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It was already mid afternoon and to make sure her theory was correct and get rid of all the worries she had, Zulia called X-5 on the Starcruiser, but the robot had no news of her son. "I haven't seen Sparky since yesterday."

"This is so strange. Sparky would never miss lunch," Zulia was seriously worried.

"For Sparky to miss lunch there are several possibilities," X-5 theorized. "He could have been kidnapped and is being held prisoner by a super villain or he purchased a large amount of food and is distracted eating it right now."

"Let's hope it's the second one. I know Sparky is a galactic guardian and he can take care of himself, but missing lunch is something he would never do," Zulia replied.

"I will assist you in locating him," X-5 offered.

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The Starcruiser soon arrived at Zulia's house and they were off to search for Sparky. Their first stop was chef Bernadette's restaurant, where Zulia explained the situation. "That's what happened. I know he would never miss lunch. Has he been here?"

"No he's banned from this restaurant because he ate all the food even if he couldn't pay for it," Bernadette reminded.

"But I paid for that," X-5 pointed out.

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Sparky had used the Starcruiser as a payment so Bernadette would let him leave. He said he would come back as soon as he got his piggy bank from his house, but then it turns out that because he couldn't pay for the taxi, the driver got angry and took him to a far away part of the galaxy. X-5 knew that would happen, but Sparky didn't listen.

Finally, the martian remembered that he had a jet pack and used hat to get to his house. He returned with the piggy bank, but of course that wasn't enough to pay for all the food. By the time Sparky's alien lemonade stand earned him enough money to pay his dept and recover the Starcruiser, and X-5 with it, Bernadette had gone off to cook Maximus' dinner and things went down hill from there.

Maximus started shooting at the Starcruiser until he realized it was actually Bernadette in it and not Atomic Betty. Then he insisted on buying the ship and the way it was left the chef was more than happy to sell it. Maximus, curious as lynx are, practically took the Starcruiser apart, convinced that it was hiding Atomic Betty's secrets deep inside. He found things that X-5 thought were lost forever, but nothing secret.

It didn't end there, the Starcruiser was left in ruins, but things got worse when Maximus decided to give X-5 a makeover, since technically he was the robot's new owner. "Stay still you bucket of bolts!" Maximus yelled while he tried to paint X-5.

"I don't like these new colors," X-5 didn't want to match Maximus' ship in colors that made him look like an evil robot, but the guards wouldn't let him go.

"Get used to it, you're my robot now and you'll be whatever color I want you to be. There all done. Don't you feel better now?" Maximus finished and the guards finally let go of X-5.

"No, I don't!" X-5 was very annoyed.

"It doesn't really matter," Maximus laughed evilly. "This is perfect, Atomic Betty's ship and robot are mine to do with whatever I want! Minimus prepare to melt it!"

"I don't care if you're technically my new owner; I'm not going to let you melt me!" X-5 complained.

"Not you, the ship, or what's left of it," Maximus clarified. "Why would I bother giving you better colors if I'm going to melt you?"

"I'm not going to let you melt the Starcruiser either!" X-5 said.

"You don't have a say in it. Minimus, hurry up!" Maximus laughed evilly again to pass the time until Minimus arrived.

"I'm coming, your impatient-ness!" Minimus' normal face replied while trying to carry a large flame thrower. "This is really heavy!" His angry face complained.

"Stop complaining and melt Atomic Betty's ship!" Maximus hit Minimus on the head, making him drop the flame thrower. Fire shot from it but missed the Starcruiser. "Idiot you missed!" Maximus hit him on the head again.

Things got better after that, Atomic Betty and Sparky arrived to recover the Starcruiser. Sparky knocked out X-5 because he thought he was a new evil robot Maximus got to destroy them. After a battle of fire, lasers and light sabers, they were finally able to escape. "I'm sorry X-5; I didn't know it was you!" Sparky hugged the robot.

"My systems shut down from the hit. A sack full of coins can be a dangerous weapon. I told you this would end badly, but you didn't listen to me," X-5 complained.

"X-5, you're alive!" Sparky cheered. "Alive for a robot I mean. I'm so sorry about what happened. I'll never eat again for as long as I live!" There was moment of silence as both X-5 and Betty stared at Sparky. "Okay, let me rephrase that. I'll never eat what I can't pay for."

"That sounds a little more believable, but there is a ninety nine point ninety nine percent chance that you will get into trouble because of your appetite again," X-5 calculated.

"Try to be more careful in the future, Sparky. Now we need to fix the Starcruiser and get X-5 some new paint," Betty knew that would keep them busy for a while.

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After that, Bernadette didn't want to take her chances with Sparky, so she refused to let him in the restaurant. If he wasn't there then where could he be? The search continued in every restaurant in the galaxy, with no sign of Sparky. There was a possibility that Sparky might have been kidnapped, but before they went to investigate, they thought it was best to inform Atomic Betty.

Once again, Betty had to make up an excuse and leave in a hurry. At least this time Noah wasn't all alone, since Paloma was there too. But she was worried Paloma was starting to get suspicious about the Betty's disappearances.

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The first stop after Atomic Betty arrived was Maximus' lair. Everything was very quiet, maybe too quiet. When they were seen, the guards ran after them. Betty kicked one of the guards noisily.

"Sshhh!" All the guards hushed her.

"What's going on?" Atomic Betty whispered.

"Maximus is sleeping. He said that who ever dares to interrupt his much needed nap will be thrown into the nearest star," one of the guards answered.

"We won't make any noise, we only want to look around, then we'll leave quietly," Zulia explained.

"Maximus will be angry if we let you look around," another guard pointed out.

"Yes, but he will be angrier if they wake him up, besides he'll never know they were here," Betty reasoned.

The guards nodded in agreement. "You may pass, but don't make any noise. I'll contact the other guards to let them know you're coming, we don't want any noisy battles."

"I knew we could come to an agreement," Zulia smiled.

"Do you really think, Sparky is here? Why would Maximus take a nap right after kidnapping Sparky? Wouldn't he know we're coming to save him?" Betty reasoned.

"Maybe it wasn't him. There are other villains that could have done it. Oh my poor Sparky, I hope he's alright!" Zulia worried.

"Statistically he has very good chances of survival," X-5 pointed out.

"Survival? But what if he gets hurt?" Zulia insisted.

"Keep it down, look who's over there," Betty whispered. As they walked around the lair, they reached Maximus' room. He was sleeping like a kitten, on top of a large pile of pillows on his bed.

"But if he didn't kidnap Sparky, then who did?" Zulia asked.

"We should investigate with the other villains. It's still not confirmed that it was a kidnapping. Sparky could have simply fallen into a black hole or something of the sort." X-5 didn't understand why Betty was giving him that look. "Captain, why are you looking at me as if I've said something wrong?"

"Never mind X-5, let's leave before Maximus' wakes up," Betty urged.

Zulia started crying noisily, worried about Sparky. Soon they were surrounded by guards. "You said you wouldn't make any noise!"

"Run!" Betty called. They better get out of there quickly. Maximus would be cranky because they woke him up.

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"Minimus, what's all that noise?" Maximus woke up.

"Nothing, your evilness, it's nothing at all, you should go back to sleep, listen to this." Minimus gave Maximus some headphones and as soon as he started to listen to the music, he fell into a deep peaceful sleep. "I knew this recording would be very useful."

As Sparky left Maximus' lair he thought he saw the Starcruiser flying away into space. "Nah, it couldn't have been." He headed to his house. He already ate lunch at the lair, but having two lunches wouldn't hurt.

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Atomic Betty, X-5 and Zulia visited many super villains and had a some battles along the way. No matter where they went, they still couldn't find Sparky. They returned to Zulia's house to think of where they would search for him next. "Sparky must have really fallen into a black hole," Zulia cried.

"I'm sure he's alright. Don't worry, we'll find him," Betty tried to console her, as they entered the house.

"Who are you looking for captain?" Sparky asked.

"Sparky!" They were all surprised to see him.

"Where were you?" Zulia asked.

"Minimus called and asked me to record a lullaby so he could give it to Maximus. Then he can get some sleep and not be so cranky all the time. I ate lunch while I was there, but I came back and found lunch on the table, so I ate another lunch. I didn't even know there was a recording studio at Maximus' lair, it was fun!" Sparky was certainly in a good mood, not only did her get to play in he studio, but he got two lunches that day.

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Thanks to the lullaby, Maximus caught up on all the sleep he had missed and no longer suffered from insomnia. Everything was peaceful for a few days, but then Maximus was full of energy. After a long battle with a very energetic Maximus, Atomic Betty and her crew were very tired.

After finally returning to Earth, Betty went to bed and closed her eyes. Finally, she could get some sleep, that day felt like it lasted a year. "Meow," oh no! "Mew, meow, meow," Betty looked out the window. There was Purrsey and a bunch of alley cats, loudly meowing the night away. They jumped on the roof of the house and Betty could hear their steps directly above her room, then they continued signing to the full moon all night long.

Betty hid her head under her pillow but she could still hear the noisy cats. It was as if Purrsey had purposely chosen the night when she most needed sleep to invite his cat friends over for a night long concert. At that moment in time, Betty's only wish was that every living creature, every planet and every galaxy was in complete silence.

End of Planet 85

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**Planet 86: Disguise**

Due to severe boredom in the past few days, the super villains of the galaxy decided to create a little suggestion box where they could anonymously contribute their ideas. Usually, they simply said what was on their mind, but since everyone appeared to be so idealess lately, maybe this little trick could work to motivate the shier villains into suggesting something evil to do.

One idea, that was not particularly evil, was to have a costume party, but not just any costume party. The irony of this event was that all the villains would be dressed up as heroes. Some suspected it was Infantor's idea for his own childish amusement and other insisted that their club house of evil had been infiltrated by someone good, who would have a great time laughing at them all dressed up as their enemies and rivals.

Either way, due to the lack of better evil ideas, they accepted the anonymous suggestion, which was written in a very hard to decipher crayon scribble. Infantor denied having anything to do with it, which either meant he was a liar, an already known fact, or that an intruder had infiltrated their facilities in the name of good, to play a joke on them. In truth it was all Chameleon's idea so he could win the best costume contest by cheating with his special ability, but he framed Infantor by scribbling with a crayon.

Everyone eventually found out, since Infantor can't write anyway, not even in scribbles. But boredom was the most important issue for the super villains at that time, after Atomic Betty's destruction of course. Given the fact that the red haired Galactic Guardian stopped all their evil plans when they had barely started, a party to relive stress sounded like a good idea.

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"Minimus hurry up!" Maximus yelled earlier that evening. He took one last look at himself in the mirror before putting on his mask and helmet, which was a part of the costume. He was going to be dressed as Razor, a famous hero from planet Lynxia. Razor and T-Bone were the local super heroes for Lynxia and Splatty, along with the Enforcer Army, which had their main base in the Mega Kat capital, which is why those two planets never needed assistance from the Galactic Guardians.

The interesting part about it and the real reason why Maximus decided to go as Razor, was because they were in reality heroes, but also legally criminals at the same time. They didn't do anything evil or commit any real crimes but the leader of the army, Commander Feral, hated them. He claimed that if they really are the good guys, they should reveal their identities, which no one knew; they were vigilantes, so they were technically illegal.

"Minimus! What's taking you so long?" Maximus left his room and headed to the space ship. "Hurry up or we'll be late! Forget being late, I'm leaving without you!"

"I'm coming, your impatient evilness, I'm coming!" Minimus rushed over, trying his best to get the large blond wig to fit in his head. "I can't get the Atomic Rodger wig to stay on."

"Atomic Rodger?" Maximus shook his head. "Why is it that everyone is going as a Galactic Guardian? I bet everyone will be dressed as Atomic Betty, Sparky, X-5, Atomic Rodger, Admiral Degill and every other Galactic Guardian. Am I the only one with some originality in the universe? What happened to the local heroes? I did hear Iciclea and Nuclea planned to do something different, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter, that's what I heard, but my costume is still the best!"

Finally, Minimus had solved his wig problem by tying the scarf around his head to keep the wig from falling off. He was about to leave, but noticed the scarf was like a bow now. No way was he going to the party with a pink bow on his head. Minimus removed the scarf from his head and placed it around his neck again. He tried to think of a way to keep the wig and had an idea. "Just a minute your evilness, I'm almost done!" Minimus glued the wig to his head. What he didn't know what that the glue won't be very easy to get rid of and he would be stuck with a wig like Atomic Rodger's for a long time. On the bright side, it protected his head a little from Maximus.

xoxox xox xoxox

Maximus IQ, dressed in a blue and red uniform, wearing a black mask and a blue and red helmet, enters his lair and collapses into the nearest piece of furniture. "Ow," he felt that every inch of his body hurts. "I thought exercise made people feel better," his breathing was heavy and uneven, as if it would take a long time for him to catch his breath. "Minimus!" Due to the lack of oxygen in his lungs, Maximus didn't yell as loud as he usually did. He took a deep breath and tried to call his sidekick again. "Minimus!" Yet again no one answered. "Minimus get over here before I die!" He yelled his exaggerated complaint as loud as his oxygen thirsty lungs allowed him to. "Minimus! I'm too tired to move, you have to carry me!" Once again there was no response.

When Maximus recovered, he would have to hit Minimus on the head many times to teach him to come running to the rescue right away when he was called. Then a thought came, Maximus remembered something. Minimus didn't come to his rescue because he wasn't in the lair, he must still be at the super villain's costume party. He was planning to hit Minimus anyway to get the stress out of his system later, when he had the energy to move. Yes, the party, he should have never gone to that party. Who knew his costume would be so good he would be chased out with lasers and bomb, thought to be a hero spy.

End of Planet 86

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**Planet 87: Bracelet Yourself Again**

The boiling lava continued to melt the rocks that once formed solid ground. Now they found themselves floating in hot rocks on a river of lava but Atomic Betty and Maximus IQ didn't stop dueling. They jumped from one rock to another, their light sabers crashing against the other in the air.

"Captain, this entire planet is an active volcano. The conditions will soon become uninhabitable until the eruption stops," X-5 announced.

It was already hard to breath and the heat was too much, but they didn't stop. "I'll be there soon X-5, just let me finish this duel," Atomic Betty replied.

"This duel will end soon, but I will win!" Maximus threatened.

The duel continued until X-5 thought it was best to leave, even if Betty didn't agree. "I'm going to beam you up captain, we can't stay any longer!"

"Not yet," Betty insisted.

"Chief, come back to the Starcruiser or I'll go out there to get you," Sparky was very worried.

"Your evilness, aren't you coming back to the ship?" Minimus called.

"Net yet!" Maximus yelled.

"Why must they be so stubborn?" X-5 knew no one would be able to give him an accurate answer, biological creatures were hard to understand at times.

"I think we should beam her up," Sparky decided.

"Betty is the captain, we should listen to her, even if that's what I've been saying all along," X-5 said.

"We're her crew and she should listen to us too," Sparky argued. "Chief, come back!"

Atomic Betty jumped away for a moment and landed in a large rock floating in the river of lava, which was actually more like an ocean of lava. The planet was really dangerous during eruption. Soon the radioactive rocks would melt, realizing toxics into the atmosphere and the planet would be impossible to inhabit for the next few months, until the lava dried up and turned into rocks and the toxics dissolved. Then this planet will become a desert of rocks once more, until the next volcanic eruption that happened once a year almost in the same date. "Sorry about keeping you worried for so long," Betty looked up at the Starcruiser, "you can beam me up now."

Maximus jumped onto the large rock that Atomic Betty was standing on. "You're not thinking about running away, are you?"

"We'll have to finish this later or this volcano planet will kill us all," Betty replied. "Beam me up!"

"Finally!" Sparky tried to beam Betty back into the Starcruiser.

"Sparky, no!" X-5 said. Maximus was too close and he got caught in the beam too. However, the Starcruiser's beam had a little glitch that was never fixed completely. After being hit by a meteor, the ship had trouble beaming up more than one person at the same time.

Betty and Maximus were lifted off the rock, then they fell back on it, but they were holding each other's light saber. "That's mine," Maximus took his red light saber from Betty.

"That one is mine," Betty took back her green light saber from Maximus.

The closest volcano erupted with balls of fire that rained down on both ships and would had fallen on Betty and Maximus if not because the Starcruiser was above them "This planet is coming apart. Minimus, get me out of here!" Maximus was beamed up to his ship and flew away into space, heading back to his lair.

X-5 tried to beam Atomic Betty into the Starcruiser again and this time it worked. The Starcruiser flew away from the volcanic planet, taking a few hits along the way and making it out just on time. "That was close, sorry I stayed there for so long," Betty apologized.

"It's okay chief, I'm just happy you're safe," Sparky hugged his captain.

"I guess I might as well join the group hug too," X-5 joined.

A transmission from Admiral Degill was received and automatically displayed. "I'm guessing the group hug means you were victorious and Maximus wasn't able to use the volcanic energy to power his new weapon?"

"Mission accomplished, Admiral Degill," Atomic Betty saluted. "Maximus' ran out of time and left his weapon behind, it was destroyed by the volcanoes."

"Excellent, the galaxy is safe again," it all went as Admiral Degill expected.

xoxox xox xoxox

At Maximus's lair, the super villain was taking a nap. All the action made him tired and he needed to recover his energy so he could come up without another plan to take over the galaxy. What Maximus didn't know was that the Starcruiser's glitched beam not only made him and Betty them switch light sabers, but gave Maximus Betty's bracelet and he didn't even notice.

xoxox xox xoxox

"Where could it be?" Betty, Sparky and X-5 searched for her bracelet in the Starcruiser. "It's not here. I must have dropped it on the volcano planet. Do you think it'll survive that?" Betty asked.

"It probably will," X-5 assured. "Galactic Guardian bracelets are very resistant, but it will be buried after the lava cools off. We'll have to wait until then and try to track it, to dig it out, or you could get a new one."

"I want to keep the same one. It just wouldn't feel the same with a new one." Betty remembered what happened with the light sabers. "Do you think Maximus has it? Maybe he got it when we switched light sabers."

"If he has it, there's a ninety nine point nice percent possibility that he will use it against us by taking control of the Starcruiser," X-5 reasoned.

"Do you think he really got it? I thought you only switched light sabers and wasn't that glitch supposed to be repaired by now?" Sparky inquired.

"At headquarters, they said it worked well enough," X-5 wasn't happy with just well enough, but they wouldn't listen to him.

"Something needs to be done, that glitch is dangerous!" Sparky argued. "When we get back to headquarters, let's tell Admiral Degill about it, he'll get our ship some decent repairs!"

"You're just upset because it's so easy to find a picture of you in the captain's uniform in the Galactic Guardians network and pink isn't your color," X-5 remembered the incident.

Sparky glared, "you made a computer wallpaper out of it!" The glitch was worse before. This time they only switched light sabers and Maximus got Betty's bracelet, but nothing else. Before that, when Betty and Sparky were beamed up at the same time they ended up with each other's uniforms and weren't taken inside the Starcruiser either. X-5 had to beam them up one at the time. But somebody took a picture and leaked it in the Galactic Guardians database.

Suddenly the Starcruiser started flying at light speed and stopped near a star. "I think Maximus does have the bracelet," X-5 suspected.

"We need to get away from that star before we get caught in its gravity. Engage manual override!" Betty commanded.

"Manual override engaged," X-5 replied.

"Don't worry chief, we'll get out of this and get your bracelet back," Sparky encouraged.

"Our odds of recovering the bracelet before the Starcruiser is destroyed are 5,745,250 to one" X-5 calculated.

"Why are our odds so bad?" Betty inquired.

"Because X-5 is a pessimistic," Sparky pouted.

"I'm not programmed to be pessimistic; I'm programmed to calculate real statistics. The Starcruiser took a lot of damage escaping from that volcanic plant and the manual override might stop working any second," X-5 explained.

"Then Maximus will have complete control of the Starcruiser," Betty concluded. "We have to get my bracelet back before that happens. Set a course for Maximus' lair at full speed!" Suddenly the Starcruiser spun around, flying in random directions when the manual override failed. "Try to engage the manual override again!"

xoxox xox xoxox

Maximus had moved around in his sleep, unknowingly getting the bracelet's cover open and pushing small analog stick against the pillows. He woke up and finally noticed it, why was he wearing such a thing? Did Minimus put it on while he slept? The sidekick would pay for his bad joke. Maximus assumed that the bracelet was only a replica with no real value.

xoxox xox xoxox

"We're here," X-5 announced when they finally arrived at the lair. The Starcruiser was in bad shape due to flying into an asteroid field on the way. "What is our plan, captain?"

"Recover the bracelet as soon as possible and get the Starcruiser repaired," Betty replied.

Sparky looked towards the lair and saw Maximus near a window. He zoomed in to the image and clearly saw Maximus throwing something out a window into space on the Starcruiser's screen. "Chief!"

"We'll have to sneak in and take the bracelet," Betty continued.

"Chief!" Sparky called.

"Not now Sparky, I suggest that our plan should be structured in more detail," X-5 requested.

"Chief!" Sparky repeated.

"You'll eat a little later, Sparky. You're right X-5, Maximus is probably waiting for us."

Clearly they were not going to listen to him, so Sparky went outside and recovered the bracelet, which Maximus had angrily thrown out the window, and returned to the ship. "I was trying to say I saw Maximus throw this out the window."

Betty, Sparky and X-5 never understood why Maximus would literally throw away such a good chance to destroy Atomic Betty and Maximus never found out the truth of his mistake.

End of Planet 87

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**Planet 88: Alarming**

Sparky's new human disguise was working perfectly. This time nothing could go wrong, or at least not too many things. It finally looked as if he was getting the hang of acting like a human and would have no problems. They had been at the mall for a while visiting different stores. In her bag, Betty carried a flashdrive. "It's so tiny," Sparky had said when he saw it at the electronics store.

"Tiny but kind of expensive," Betty really wanted one of those, plus they were compatible with most computers in most planets so it would be useful. Of course no one knew the technology was 'infiltrated' into Earth from space, but some suspected they were too good to have originated on Earth with their current technological level or lack thereof.

The item was practically flat and only half an inch long. Yet even if it was so small, it could store a lot of data, pictures, video, sound, pretty much anything. "Are you going to buy it chief?" Sparky asked.

"I think I will," Betty tired of carrying a billion disks whenever she needed to save information for school or her missions, the universal serial bus was well, universal.

After purchasing the item, Betty and Sparky were walking around the mall. "Look, comic books!" Sparky pointed to a near by store.

"Let's go take a look," Betty and Sparky walked to the store. But when they entered, something unexpected happened. The alarms at the door sounded off.

"The Earth is under attack!" Sparky yelled. "Run chief run for your life!" He took her hand and ran.

"Stop Sparky, it's okay," Betty was being pulled in circles, until she finally got Sparky to stop. "It's alright; calm down, the Earth isn't under attack."

"Excuse me," an employee from the store approached.

Betty didn't take anything so there was no reason for the alarms to go off. But the mall was full of sales with big signs with the word free printed in bright colors. Of course you only got a free item if you purchased a certain amount of items from those stores. What if Sparky thought free literally meant free? What if he assumed it was alright to take things without paying and took something? No one on Earth would believe his alien innocence and they couldn't find out he was an alien in the first place.

Betty had warned Sparky after that incident at the candy store that free didn't actually mean free. After a long explanation, she thought he understood. He found it very strange, but somehow he understood, it was an Earth thing. "We didn't take anything," Betty voiced.

"It's alright I know you didn't take anything. I see you've been to that electronics store near by," the employee looked at the bag Betty was carrying. "They always forget to deactivate the security chip."

"But it didn't make a sound when I left the store," Betty said.

"That's because their alarm system doesn't activate when a product is registered as sold on their database. The security chip is still active, but it won't cause the alarm to activate because it identifies the product. The only problem with that is that it may still activate alarms from other stores. Ours is really sensitive, it happens all the time. You're the third person today. Let me deactivate it for you so it doesn't go off anywhere else." The employee held a devise that looked similar to a space pistol with its red light aimed at the bag Betty was holding up.

"Chief look out!" Sparky tackled his captain. "You will not hurt the captain villain of Earth!" He aimed his space pistol at the suposed villain.

"Sparky, no!" Betty took the pistol away from Sparky. "Sorry about that." The sound of the alarm at the door had attracted the attention of a few people in the store and now because of Sparky many more were staring.

"It's alright," the employee deactivated the security chip without even taking it out of the bag. "All done, you two have fun looking around and let me know if you need help with anything. But you should leave that kind of water gun games for when you're playing outside. Water isn't good for books."

After the employee was gone, Betty returned Sparky's space pistol, "I told you not to use that here."

"But chief, she had a weapon and she was aiming it at your new keychain. I doubt the keychain would protect you. The laser would have burned through and hit you!" Sparky tried to explain.

"It's a flashdrive not a keychain, they have those in Mars, you should know, X-5 would give you a speech about it if he heard you. Besides, that wasn't a laser weapon, it was only part of the security system," Betty tried to explain. Clearly there were a few things about malls that Sparky still didn't understand. "She was only trying to help to prevent the alarms from going off for no reason again."

Sparky gave Betty a confused look, before letting it go and settling for staying confused, at least for now. He couldn't think with empty stomachs anyway. "I'm getting kind of hungry."

Betty looked at the time display on her bracelet. "It's lunch time. Let's got back to the Starcruiser and get something to eat at a space restaurant."

"How come we can't eat here?" Sparky asked.

"Because you were banned from the food court, remember?" Betty reminded him.

"Oh, yeah, I still don't get it. The offer said all you can eat and I only filled two of my stomachs when they were already throwing me out. Such false advertisement, we should tell the Galactic Guardians," Sparky paused for a moment until he realized who he was. "Wait, we are the Galactic Guardians!"

"Forget about it Sparky. I don't think the Earth is ready for your appetite. Besides, do you remember what I told you about secrets?" Betty asked.

"I remember, chief. I only wish that something could be done to make things less confusing," Sparky thought the mall appeared to be eternal as they continued walking among a large group of people.

"I think putting them out of business because of lack of food was punishment enough." Betty had the consolation that they didn't have to pay anything extra for the food, since the offer was supposed to be all you can eat, but they still got banned.

xoxox xox xoxox

Betty and Sparky finally made it out of the mall and contacted X-5 so they could be beamed up to the Starcruiser from the parking lot, between two cars where no one saw them. The sound of an alarm could be heard in the parking lot. Betty looked at Sparky as if telling him she knew he had something to do with it. "I didn't do anything, I only poked it!"

"You're not supposed to poke cars," Betty scolded.

xoxox xox xoxox

"I knew you couldn't make it without causing trouble," X-5 greeted them as they were beamed to the ship.

"Hey, I didn't get kicked out of anywhere this time and the alarms only went off twice!" It was not a very good defense for Sparky.

"Need I say more?" X-5 shook his head.

Sparky's stomachs started making loud odd sounds. "Don't say anything, just take us somewhere to eat, I'm starving! Sorry about the alarms chief."

"Never mind," Betty thought she saw Penelope passing by at the moment the alarm went off at the store. Betty had a feeling she wouldn't hear the end of it any time soon. If Betty caught the inconsiderate idiot from the electronics store that forgot to deactivate the security chip after she paid sixty for flashdrive, whoever it may be, would be in big trouble. Betty had a feeling that Penelope would start spreading rumors at school.

xoxox xox xoxox

After eating lunch at a space restaurant that was prepared for the appetite of Sparky's species, Betty headed back to Earth. "Betty I'm so glad you're home," her mother greeted as soon as Betty arrived.

"You are?" Betty knew there had to be a catch.

"I was just about to leave to go shopping. It's nice that Purrsey won't have to stay all alone in the house. Take good care of your little brother!" Betty mother left.

The hours passed and Betty spent most of her time trying to keep Purrsey from making a mess that her mother would blame on her.

xoxox xox xoxox

Finally, Betty's mom came back from the mall and as usual had many gifts for Purrsey. Betty headed to her room, but her mother called. "Betty wait, I have something for you too!"

"Really?" Betty went to see what it was.

Her mother handed her a bag. "I thought it was simply adorable. It's a little sci-fi so I thought you might like it. The best part is it might remind you of your little brother!"

"What is it?" Betty couldn't imagine what could be sci-fi and remind her of Purrsey. The item inside the bag felt soft, like a plushie and that's exactly what it was, but it wasn't any plushie. This was a Maximus IQ plushie. There was no mistake, the plushie was a miniature replica of the super villain lynx, holding a little red light saber.

"I knew you would love it!" Betty's mother took her daughter's surprise as happiness; then continued giving Purrsey more gifts.

"Thanks mom," Betty managed to say before heading to her room. Could this plushie be one of the items from Max Land? Could this be Maximus' way to tell her he knew of her home planet?

Maybe it wasn't a plushie from Max Land after all, it just couldn't be. Besides, if Maximus knew of her planet it would probably be raining lasers by now. Or he would destroy a random city as a warning. He wouldn't send plushies of him to the planet if he was planning to blow it up. Betty's mother bought that plushie at the mall; it was all only a strange coincidence. Yes, it was only a coincidence; Betty's secret had to be safe.

xoxox xox xoxox

In Maximus' lair, what appeared to be a human arrived. He deactivated his holographic disguise and turned into Minimus. "Mission accomplished, your evilness. All the merchandise was purchased by a store at a mall where they will resell it. It was selling quite well before I left," Minimus' normal face spoke, then he switched to his angry face and continued, "I can't believe I actually found someone stupid enough to buy the left over junk from Max Land. What a planet of shopaholic fools!" A hit to the head made it quit clear that Maximus wasn't going to let his sidekick call his fine merchandise junk.

"Those are high quality products!" Maximus yelled. "What is the name of that planet where my merchandise is being sold?"

"It's Earth, your evilness. A very strange pre-contact planet of humans," Minimus revealed.

'Humans? Could it be Atomic Betty's planet? No, she wouldn't live on a pre-contact planet. There are more than one planet where humans live. Besides, if the people of Earth have such good taste in high quality products, then they can't be anything like Atomic Betty,' Maximus thought. "Minimus, remind me not to blow up that Earth planet."

End of Planet 88

xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox

**Planet 89: Mall Adventure**

"This place is so big! Look chief, look over there," Sparky ran towards the object that caught his attention, getting further away from Betty and X-5.

"Sparky, wait up!" Betty ran after him. Both Sparky and X-5 had human disguises.

"Look at the little flying earthling action figure!" Sparky pointed.

"It a Superman action figure and it's not really flying, it's tied to a string," Betty explained.

"Did it run out of batteries?" Sparky asked.

"No, dolls can't fly by themselves on this planet," Betty explained and Sparky looked disappointed. "You two need to stay close. Don't wander off or you might get lost. An Earth mall isn't like outer space. It can be filled with chaos in seconds if there's a sale."

"X-5's the one who ran off," Sparky pointed out.

Betty looked around. The robot in the human disguise was gone. "We better go find him!" This couldn't be happening; Betty thought she only had Sparky to worry about and that X-5 would be alright.

xoxox xox xoxox

At a clothing store, "excuse me miss, it appears that you are different from the other humans in this area. Are you the leader of this tribe?" X-5 knew that earthlings were considered in many planets to be savage hostile creatures better left alone in their pre-contact world. X-5 had the mission to collect scientific data and update the Galactic Guardian's database. Personally, he did not believe such accusations, since his captain was perfectly nice and civilized.

The girl looked at him oddly. She cold not see through his disguise, but he appeared a little strange anyway. "If you're asking if I'm the manager then no, she is," she pointing to a young woman only a few years older than herself.

The woman took the hint and came to see what this was about. Two others girls who looked a lot like her followed. "How may we help you?" They all asked at the same time.

X-5 wanted to ask them a few questions, but those three looked frightening. Oh what a great time for his emotion chip to kick in. "I'm only making observations."

"You may observe all you want," the manager voiced.

"Yes, please do," one of the girls agreed.

"Observe! Observe!" The other girl encouraged.

X-5 backed away slowly. "Thank you, I will continue with my observations."

"Is it their lack of individuality that terrifies you? Or the overly bright colors of their clothes and makeup?" The girl who looked different inquired.

The robot decided that for the sake of science, he better disable his emotions chips temporarily so as to not appear frightened. "Human, may I know if you are content in your atmosphere?"

The girl bilked and casually put a lock of purple dyed hair behind her ear. "I don't like it, but it's an honest job."

"Data storage completed; what is the purpose of having a job you dislike?" X-5 inquired.

"What is this a survey or the strangest secret shopper yet?" The girl fount it very strange, "anyway, I'm on break now so I'm out of here," she left.

Having collected a reasonable amount of data from that particular tribe, X-5 headed to another one. Unknown to him, three almost identical girls, one slightly older than the other two, were watching hidden among the clothes. "He didn't buy anything!" The three complained at the same time, their voices filled with frustration and despair. "It's all her fault!"

xoxox xox xoxox

Betty wasn't having an easy time with Sparky. A new cake shop had opened and Sparky's nose led him to the wide display of delicious cakes. "Sparky, no! You can't eat them. Then I'll have to pay for them and there's too many!"

"But chief, they look delicious!" Sparky was almost free from her grip. Those cakes were too much to resist.

"Would you like a free sample?" A young man with a chef hat asked.

"Yes! Did you hear that chief? They're free!" Sparky got loose and started an eating rampage, swallowing cake after cake.

"Sparky, stop! I can't pay for all those cakes!" Betty tried to stop him, but it was no use. Sparky was too exited to listen to reason.

The one who had offered the free sample stepped back and watched the scene in amazement. "Wow, this kid eats more than me, a lot more. I thought eating one cake by myself was a lot, but this kid rocks!"

"Don't say that, he'll never stop if you cheer him on!" Betty's efforts to stop Sparky were futile.

"Who cares? This is cool!" The boy tossed his chef hat into the air. "Go kid! Go! What was his name again?"

"Sparky," Betty thought he would be angry about the cakes, but he wasn't.

"Go Sparky, keep eating!" He kept on cheering, while Betty shook her head. He didn't know what he was asking for.

xoxox xox xoxox

X-5 was at the food court, gathering more information. "Warning circuits overloaded!"

A girl he decided to interview wouldn't shut up about the latest gossip and it was seriously filling up his memory. "But that's only half the story. Do you know what he said after that? Of course, not, because I haven't told you yet, but just wait until you hear this!"

"Have some mercy on him," another young man arrived. "Are you okay boy?"

"Overload! Overload!" X-5 yelled.

"I think that means you confused him." The human boy spoke calmly.

The girl shrugged. "Well he was the one who said he wanted to know all the information I could give him."

X-5 appeared to faint, but then he woke up after rebooting. "Are you okay?" The same guy from before asked. He could see the girl with a lot of information standing close behind him, looking worried.

"Systems rebooted, emotion chip back online. Error found during reboot. Error corrected. New session stated. All systems online," X-5 said.

"He's delirious!" The girl started to panic.

"I am not delirious, I am not programmed to be in such a state," X-5 explained.

The girl blinked. "Huh?"

"I think that means he's okay," the guy interpreted.

"I believe I have a sufficient amount of information for now. Thank you for proving all this data." X-5 went on his way, leaving the two humans very confused.

Xoxox xox xoxox

"Wow! I never thought Sparky would eat all those cakes! High five buddy!" The soon to be fired employee from the cake shop cheered.

Sparky was very cheerful after his little snack, even if he wasn't full. "This is fun; we should come to the mall more often!"

"Ehem," The owner of the shop stood behind the soon to be ex-employee. "How did you sell all the cakes?"

"I didn't, Sparky here ate them as free samples," he dumbly replied.

"Do you expect me to believe he ate all the cakes? Did you give them away to people as free samples? You're fired!" The owner yelled.

The boy, Betty and Sparky rushed out of the cake shop. "Sorry about that, I'll pay for the cakes somehow," Betty offered.

"Nah, I already got fired, don't pay for them now. Besides, he didn't believe it." The human didn't appear to be concerned about losing his job at all.

"Sorry, you got fired. In my planet, I mean, in the part of this planet where I come from, that's not a good thing," Sparky apologized.

"Relax, I'm used to it. It happens every day." The carefree boy gave his goodbyes to Sparky the master cake eater and went on his way, without a care in the world.

"He was nice, it's good to make new friends on Earth. Too bad I forgot to ask his name. With all the cake, I couldn't think of anything else," Sparky admitted.

"I'm sure he'll remember this day for a long time," Betty saw X-5 approaching. "Where were you all this time?"

"I was collecting data and a human filled up the memory extensions I brought for that purpose. Luckily, I still have plenty of space in my primary memory, but that is my space for my own special memories with my friends," X-5 gave Betty and Sparky a group hug. The light in his eyes blinked and he let go. "Sorry about that, it happens sometimes after reconnecting the emotion chip, but it should be stabilized by now."

"I think it's time for us to return to the Starcruiser," Betty concluded.

"Aw, but we're having so much fun!" Sparky complained.

"I think that's enough for one day," Betty knew they weren't ready to handle the mall and the mall certainly wasn't ready for them.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile... "Dude you're supposed to be at the other side of the counter."

"Shut up human!" Someone was hiding. That was Atomic Betty out there, even with her odd clothing he recognized her. Then those other two must be her Galactic Guardian friends in disguise. "Minimus," the supposed human spoke into a holographic communicator. "Cancel the plans, Atomic Betty knows everything. We'll have to find another planet to establish the secret base in."

"Yes, your evilness," Minimus' voice came from the communicator as his normal face was displayed on the hologram. His head spun around so that his angry face appeared on the hologram and in a sarcastic tone he added, "I told you that planet was a bad idea!"

"Shut up and remind me to hit you when I get back!" Maximus ended the communication and looked from behind the counter to see if Betty was still there. There was no sign of her, but she must be somewhere, probably watching him at that very moment.

"That's a nice toy thingy you got there, dude." The 'dude' who worked there looked curious.

"It's not a toy you ignorant earthling, but I can't expect a race of pre-contact savages to understand." Maximus, still in his holographic human disguise, got up and attempted to walk away, only to slip on a skate board. But he did not fall; instead he slipped away on the skate board towards the stairs and skated down the stairs unable to stop, gaining speed as he went.

The owner of the skateboard followed on foot, watching in amazement. Finally, the skate board stopped against a potted plant but it had been going too fast and sent Maximus flying into the air. Though being a cat alien he spun in mid air and landed on his feet, terrified from the ordeal. "Dude, you're good! I tried that before but got stuck on the stairs."

"Good? You say I'm good? I'm not going to be insulted by an uncivilized creature!" Maximus yelled loud enough for everyone passing by to look at him. Before Maximus could ready his laser gun, curious people quickly formed a circle around them and Maximus panicked. "Minimus, get me out of here!" Maximus was beamed up to his ship and disappeared.

"Wow! He was right. To say he's good is an offence. He's great, better than great; he's most awesome skater I've ever seen. You are my life long idol mystery skater!" The human picked up his skate board and made his way out of the crowd. "Someday, I'll make an exit like that, someday." He went up the stairs and looked down. "First I need to master skating down the stairs. I wonder how he did it. His balance was so perfect even when he was screaming for his life. He was probably just pretending for the fun of it. Then that jump, I wonder how he landed so easily, it's almost like he was part cat or something. He was out of this world!" There was a pause. "Could he be some kind of cat alien?" He shook his head. "Nah, he was just an inhumanly good skater."

xoxox xox xoxox

At another store at the same mall, an ordinary human was feeling quite bored. "Sometimes I wish aliens would invade the earth or something, to cure us of our boredom." The irony was never known.

xoxox xox xoxox

In the Starcruiser Atomic Betty, Sparky and X-5 now out of their disguises, were heading off to find a place to eat. "Eating all those cakes made me hungry!" Sparky was the only one who could understand his own logic.

"We got lucky this time, but we should stay away from the mall for a while," Betty warned.

"I agree" X-5 gave Sparky a warning look.

"But it was fun!" Sparky complained.

"The mall is not ready for you Sparky." Betty had no idea that she saved the Earth again just by being there to be seen by Maximus, who gave up his plans thinking he would be ambushed. Betty later heard about the legendary mystery skater at the mall, but never found out who he was.

End of Planet 89

More to come...

Disclaimer: I do not own Atomic Betty, Swat Kats, Sailor Moon, Superman or 6teen. Planet 85 is based on the episode "Sleeping Like a Baby". Planet 87 is based on the episode "Bracelet Yourself". Planet 89 is a 6teen crossover.


	19. Part 19

Atomic Galaxy

Planet 90: More Trouble with Triplets

Today Atomic Betty was in the Galactic Guardians Headquarters. not because of an emergency mission and not because of training. Today she had been called because she received a mysterious package. The box was quite large and some claimed they heard strange noises coming from inside it. Sometimes, the box moved slightly, as if something alive was trapped inside. But this was for Atomic Betty and no one except her was allowed to open it.

The Galactic Guardians detected no weapons or bombs inside the box, but there were apparently three life forms in there. Atomic Betty was immediately called and informed. The red haired young woman approached the box and noticed an envelope attached to it. "Maybe this will have an explanation," Betty opened the letter, while Sparky curiously looked over her shoulder and X-5 tried to tell him that wasn't right.

"What does it say chief? Who is it from?" The blue haired Martian's big nose poked the paper while he tried to look over her shoulder.

"Sparky, you mustn't intrude in the captain's private mail," X-5 pulled Sparky away.

By now Betty had finished quietly reading the letter and decided that maybe it was best that her crew heard what it said. "Listen to this:"

xoxox xox xoxox

Dear Hated Atomic Betty,

You must be wondering what happened to those three brats (the word brats is crossed over), adorable angels that look just as horrible (again the word horrible was replaced) nice as you do. Because they were so annoying, I mean because I thought it would be best for them, I sent each of them to live with a different aunt, Optica, Destructa and Roxanne, to become their apprentices.

Now their aunts are in need of a vacation and had decided to leave the little pests, I mean the little angels with their (the word father was crossed over several times and was hard to read) cloner, creator, whatever you want to call me except their father. However, the are a big headache so I'm giving them to you. Take care of them during this weekend and return them to their aunts on Splatty on Monday. They have your DNA so they're your responsibility.

Your enemy,

Maximus IQ (the name was signed autograph style)

PS: I told them you are their mother so they would want to go with you.

PS 2: The cloning machine was defective so they didn't grow up.

PS 3: I hate you.

xoxox xox xoxox

The room was filled with silence as the three brought their ears (or sound sensors) closer to the box to listen.

"Do you think we're there yet?" Betty one asked.

"I don't think so," Betty two answered.

"Do you think we'll get there soon?" Betty one inquired.

"I don't know," Betty two replied.

"Be quiet, remember daddy said we had to be quiet if we wanted mommy to find us," Betty three reminded.

"But won't she find us faster if she hears us?" Betty one pointed out.

"I don't know," Betty two repeated.

"Shut up or I'm telling daddy you didn't keep quiet like he said!" Betty three yelled.

"You're yelling too!" Betty one also yelled.

"Only because you yelled first!" Betty three argued.

"I want my mommy!" Betty two complained.

Atomic Betty, the original, Sparky and X-5 stepped away from the box, wondering why the sibling rivalry hasn't destroyed it yet. "What should we do captain?" X-5 asked.

"I guess we can't leave them in there," Betty carefully opened the box to find three younger Bettys tied together by a strange glowing ring. That must be what absorbed their powers.

"Mommy!" The Betty with the fire powers exclaimed.

"Mommy!" Mommy!" The other two Bettys cheered.

The original shook her head, "I'm not really your mother."

"Of course you are, you look like us, but you're older, so you have to be," the stone Betty reasoned.

"I don't think they understand the concept of being clones," X-5 concluded. The three Bettys looked at the robot oddly, as if confirming his theory.

"I guess I'll have to take care of them," Betty untied the three younger Bettys, who immediately hugged her.

"Chief you're actually going to babysit them?" Sparky was surprised.

"They were cloned into this world by Maximus. It's not their fault if they turn out bratty. Besides, maybe they'll like being Galactic Guardians." This could be a good chance to turn the triplets good. If they truly believed she was their mother, they might listen to her and follow her example. However, the plan proved to be a disaster, in less than an hour, Galactic Guardians Headquarters was a mess.

The three Bettys ran wild throwing whatever they could get their hands on, pressing random buttons on the space stations controls and causing general mischief. They even stole Atomic Rodger's wig. "Atomic Betty! Are those children with you?" Admiral Degill was upset.

"Yes, kind of, I'm supposed to be babysitting them for the weekend, but they won't listen to me." They were actually nice for a little while, then a sibling argument came up over who looked the most like their mother and the fight was destroying HQ.

"Those clones need to be stopped. After they disappeared for so long, I didn't think they would be back," Admiral Degill was feeling stressed.

"They were on Splatty with Optica, Destructa and Roxanne," Atomic Betty the admiral were talking at the same time as they ran towards the source or the latest explosion. The explosions indicated that Betica was using her fire powers on something that should be kept away from fire.

Each of the Bettys had obtained a new name from their aunts. The fire Betty was Betica, the stone Betty was Betructa and the elastic Betty was Beanne. Sparky and X-5, along with many other Galactic Guardians including a bald Atomic Rodger, were trying to stop the three child Bettys, but they were very hard to catch.

Apparently, they had plenty of time to practice their mischief over the past years. Betty had managed to catch two, but when she caught the third, one of the others escaped. It went on like this for a while, until losing her patience, the original Betty yelled. "Stop!" There was a sudden eerie silence as the three Bettys froze. Making her best imitation of her mother when she was angry, Betty called them. "Betica, Betructa, Beanne, come here!" The three younger Bettys stood in a line, looking at the floor. Then suddenly burst into tears. Betty looked confused. "Why are you crying now? Is it because you regret making such a big mess?"

"No, it's because you don't want us to destroy the quarter's head!" Beanne complained.

"It's not the quarter's head, it's the head's quarter!" Betica corrected.

"Who cares what it's called. It's the source of good and she won't let us destroy it," Betructa voiced.

"Of course I won't. I wanted you three to try to become Galactic Guardians. You said you would try, but you lied, now look at this mess," Betty scolded.

"But if the quarter's head," Beanne started.

"Head's quarter," Betica corrected.

"If the Galactic Guardian's place isn't destroyed, then you'll be good and you and daddy will stay mad at each other," Beanne pointed out.

"Is that so..." Betty knew she had a big mess to clean up and Maximus was the one who started this year ago when he clones her.

"We heard that Atomic Betty, our good sister, is your favorite daughter. But that can't be true, if you liked that Betty best, then she would be here with you," Bestructa reasoned and the other two clones nodded in agreement.

"It also looks like they can't understand the concept of growing up, because they can't grow up themselves," X-5 analyzed.

"What does that mean?" Sparky inquired.

"That they think people always stay the same. That kids have always been kids and will always be kids and adults have always been adults and will always be adults," X-5 explained.

"I have an idea," the original Betty finally spoke, "I'm going to take you back to Maximus, to your father, and you can show him how mischievous I taught you to be, all of this was really practice and I've done very well. I'm sure that when he sees how much you learned from me he'll like me again," it felt odd to say it, but the plan worked as the clones looked interested. The real Betty grinned, Maximus had it coming.

End of Planet 90

Disclaimer, I do not own Atomic Betty. 


	20. Part 20

Atomic Galaxy

Planet 91: Common Cold

Sure they are all feeling tired and yes they all have all the basic symptoms of the common cold, but for each of them the dreaded virus has concentrated in one specific annoyance.

Maximus has a sore throat that hurts more than any other symptom. For Sparky, the thing that really annoys him during a cold is his nose, he sniffles and sneezes constantly. Betty has been coughing so much she can hardly breathe and X-5 has... Wait a minute, X-5 is a robot how did he get a cold? Oh? It's not a cold? It's a computer virus? Well that explains it. X-5 is suffering from a virus that makes his system overheat, which is similar to having a fever. Let's see how they're doing.

xoxox xox xoxox

Our first stop is Maximus's lair. "I hate you Atomic Betty!" Maximus screamed angrily as loudly as his sore throat allowed him to, which to Minimus' relief wasn't all that loud.

'Finally, a day without headaches,' Minimus thought. Maximus was too sick to hit him too hard and he was even too sick to complain for more than five minutes before falling asleep. But he knew this wouldn't last very long. Soon Maximus will be well enough to complain about having a cold towards the end of it.

Maximus woke up again a few hours later. "Minimus, ouch!" It hurt to yell at his sidekick. How dare Atomic Betty leave him like this? It had to be her fault because she had a cold. Galactic Guardians did have germs after all. He looked across the room at several shiny little candy balls in colorful wrappers sitting on a table several feet away. If he ate one of those, his throat would feel better even if it was only temporary. But they were so far away and he couldn't yell hard enough for Minimus to hear him. He would just have to wait until Minimus came. So he stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep from the pain.

Finally, ten minutes later he couldn't take his burning throat anymore and decided to get up, make the long trip across the room and get those candies. Dragging his feet the entire way there, Maximus crossed the room complaining quietly with each step. He thought that such an amazing super villain such as himself didn't deserve this treatment from life. He did not say it for that would hurt too much, but thinking it would have to do for now. He ate a candy and returned to bed, almost instantly falling asleep.

Of course it could not be that easy, he swallowed the candy ball and nearly chocked on it. He did manage to spit it out just as Minimus came into the room to check on his evilness. The sidekick's face was left spinning around after being hit by a candy ball which flew at him like a bullet. "Does this mean you're feeling better?" Minimus inquired.

"No, ow!" Maximus complained. "Where were you when I needed the candy from across the room? I had to walk all the way there!" He made it sound as if it was a trip across the galaxy.

"You're even lazier than you usually are!" Minimus' angry face grumbled.

"Just wait till I get better. You'll be in trouble for that," this time Maximus didn't even have the energy to try to hit Minimus. He tried to sleep again, hoping that when he woke up he was cured. Looks like Maximus isn't handling his cold very well.

xoxox xox xoxox

Let's see how Sparky's doing. "Achu!" Sparky's nose was so big it weighted nearly as much as his body. "Mamoolah!" He sounded quite strange with such a big nose. "I ran out of... Achu! No not that, there's plenty of sneezes. I ran out of towels," anything smaller is ineffective at blowing his nose.

Zulia rushed in with another towel. Her poor Sparky was very sick with a terrible cold and she would take care of him. "Here you go, now you rest here while Mamoolah gets you something to eat. You have to eat enough if you want to get well soon." To that Sparky did not object. He claimed that he could hardly eat because he was so sick, but he still ate plenty.

xoxox xox xoxox

How could Betty be enduring? On Earth we find a red haired girl, walking home while trying to put up with an annoying cough that won't go away. Everyone kept staring at her in the classroom and Penelope said she was breaking her concentration. It's not like she was paying attention anyway. Betty saw the magazine hidden behind the text book. Now she was finally going home.

Later, Betty was in her room resting. The annoying cough still persisted long after she got home. "Betty!" Her mother called. "Please stop coughing that can't be healthy. You haven't stopped since you got home. Pursey's trying to take a nap and you're keeping him awake." Without waiting for Betty's answer she left.

It's not like Betty could do anything about it. Before getting home she took a quick stop at Galactic Guardian Headquarters to see the doctor. There was not much he could do, even in the futuristic depths of space, there is no cure for the common cold. She would just have to take some cough medicine and wait for it to work. For something so sour, that medicine was certainly taking its sweet time.

xoxox xox xoxox

Maximus got his cold from Betty and Betty got her cold from Sparky. But how did it happen? Sparky accidentally ate some strange berries that caused the common cold. Yes, there is such a thing in a distant alien planet. He sneezed in the Starcruiser and that's how Betty got her cold. When Sparky' nose grew bigger and bigger, they decided it was best to take Sparky home to Mars, where his mother would know what to do to take care of him.

After leaving Mars, the Starcruiser received a call from Admiral Degill. They explained why Sparky was not with them and he understood. But there was no time to waste, a mission was waiting. "Maximus is trying to collect energy from the stars to power his new super weapon. The weapon will not be operational unless it's fully charged, but draining so much energy from the stars will greatly affect them. The galaxy is danger again, you must stop him right away!"

"Don't worry Admiral Degill, we'll make sure that weapon isn't used and the stars don't lose anymore energy," Atomic Betty saluted then she coughed. Her cold had officially declared war on every cell of her body. Cough or not, she still won the battle. However, she coughed enough during her light saber duel to give Maximus a cold too.

xoxox xox xoxox

Now Betty was on earth, in her room, trying to keep quiet and failing to do so. Why was that sour supposedly super effective medicine the doctor gave her taking so long to work? The cough was getting worse by the second. A little more and she wouldn't even be able to breathe. She remembered that when she went to see the doctor she also stopped by the robot repair area after hearing X-5 was there.

X-5 had mysteriously caught a strange virus that was causing him to overheat. The irony of all robots then took place. If the central processing unit is too hot the artificial intelligence unit will freeze. Sparky had always been confused about how heat could cause anything to freeze and didn't quite get it when X-5 and Betty tried to explain what it really meant. She hoped he was doing better by now.

There was no use in staying there and hearing her mother's complaints about Purrsey wanting to nap. Using her bracelet, Betty called the Starcruiser and returned to Galactic Guardian Headquarters. Maybe she needed a stronger medicine to get rid of the cough. It didn't matter how bad it tasted, right now she was willing to do anything to get better.

"I see that cough medicine is working as expected," the doctor noted as soon as Atomic Betty entered the office.

She wondered if he was being sarcastic, but he didn't sound that way. "But I'm" (cough) "still coughing!"

"Well of course you are! Isn't that what you wanted, to make your cough stronger? I can't imagine why anyone would want that, but if it's the in thing right now, who am I go to go against it?" The doctor replied.

"I don't" (cough) "want this!" Betty had asked for a cough medicine and that's exactly what she got a medicine to make her cough.

"You don't? Styles change quickly don't they? No problem, I have a really good anti-cough medicine and it's cherry flavored!" The doctor prepared a large spoon full of the red substance. "Open wide, here comes the space ship. This is the Starcruiser requesting permission for landing at Galactic Guardian Headquarters."

Betty ignored that she was being treated like a child and took the medicine. It certainly tasted better than the cough medicine from before and soon her cough was gone. "It worked! Thanks doctor!"

"No problem," the doctor smile. "Here's a lollipop for you. Maybe you could teach your friend Sparky to be a brave patient like you."

"I'll try," Betty mused that the endless chain of colds could stretch across the universe. If you want to get rid of a cold, give it to someone else, just make sure they don't give it back to you later.

End of Planet 91

Disclaimer, I do not own Atomic Betty. 


	21. Part 21

Atomic Galaxy

**Planet 92: Delicious Inspiration**

Maximus IQ was in the office area of his lair reviewing some evil plans that bored. He was tired of the same evil plans and felt he needed inspiration to come up with something more evil. "Minimus!"

Minimus PU, came running. "Yes your evilness?" Without a word, Maximus promptly hit his sidekick on the head. "What did I do now?" His angry face asked once his head stopped spinning.

"Nothing, I just felt like hitting something to see if that gave me an idea of something evil to do, but it didn't work," Maximus sounded bored. "Maybe I didn't hit you hard enough..."

Minimus covered his head and closed his eyes waiting for the hit that never came. Instead Maximus ignored him and was now standing by the large glass window, looking into the depths of space. He saw part of Jupiter near by and beyond that he knew there was a blue planet. The planet had a bit of white at the north and south and several green shapes that appeared to fit together like a puzzle. The living creatures of that planet had not yet established contact outside of their world or so he heard. "What was the name of that planet, the blue one that's near by?"

"Earth?" Minimus reminded.

"Yes Earth, strange name for a planet and at the same time so unoriginal" Maximus walked away from the window glancing at his desk where all the evil plans were still waiting to be approved or disapproved. Deciding that he didn't want to deal with evil plans at the moment, he left the office, "come Minimus."

Minimus obediently followed as a loyal pet would. "Where are we going your evilness?" Minimus' normal face inquired. His alter ego didn't seem to care and mentally reminded the other Minimus that regardless of the place, Maximus would be bossing him around as usual, so there was not real difference.

"Earth," Maximus replied casually, as if it was a common daily decision to go visit a planet that has no outside contact, though it was quite rare and impractical.

"But your evilness, the inhabitants of Earth will get scared and point at us and say we're aliens and there will be a huge panic, then they'll send out their primitive armies after us, win by some miracle produced by dumb luck, capture us and take us to secret underground laboratories to perform strange experiments on us!" Minimus warned.

Maximus rolled his eyes as he made his way to his ship. "Don't be ridiculous Minimus, that only happens in movies. Besides, I might get some good evil ideas by visiting new places."

xoxox xox xoxox

When they arrived at Earth, Maximus ordered, "beam me down; I'll contact the ship when I need to return."

"You're going by yourself your evilness?" Minimus was shocked.

"That's the problem with evil inspiration you have to find it yourself, it's not like you can send someone to get it for you. Now beam me down," Maximus was getting impatient.

Minimus beamed him down to Earth and for a moment his evil side thought about taking off and leaving Maximus stranded in this uncivilized planet, but his other half protested, claiming that he couldn't just abandon the boss in such a dangerous place. In the end, it was that half that won the argument so Minimus stayed, waiting for Maximus to contact him when he found the evil inspiration he was searching for and got over his villain block.

xoxox xox xoxox

As soon as Maximus was beamed down in a random spot, several people looked in his direction, it's not every day that a human sized cat appears out of nowhere and there happens to be a space ship hovering over him. However there were no screams of panic, instead the people had assumed the guy in the cat suit was there because of something related to publicity. Several people clapped at his entrance and wondered how it was possible that the cat looked so real.

Maximus directed an odd look at the strange people clapping at him, feeling a mayor ego boost, he concluded that even those low tech creatures knew the future ruler of the universe when they saw him. He made his way towards a building and people pointed at him as he walked and smiled. Usually, people are scared to see a super villain so close, but those primitive beings were happy? Perhaps what they lack in technology they have in instinct that allows them to sense his superior power.

Ignoring the random creatures pointing and the smaller specimens that followed him around saying 'kitty' over and over again, he made his way toward the front of the building where he saw a primitive blue vending machine. There was a picture of a bottle containing a brownish liquid. "Pepsi," he read.

The machine had a space that Maximus assumed was used to insert some sort of card. A drawing of a rectangle with some symbols and words on it was right above that space. Maybe it was some kind of primitive currency. Below that there was a space about the size of a coin and since even super villains like souvenirs, he placed a coin in the machine and waited. The coin was not of Earth's currency, but it was similar in size, so the machine accepted it and little glowing numbers appeared inside a black square that showed a zero before. Maximus placed another coin in the machine wondering how many it took for something to happen, the numbers changed once more but nothing else happened.

He placed two more coins in and noticed several buttons with colorful labels below the glowing numbers. The word Pepsi was repeated on the labels that were slightly different, followed by other words such as Diet, Twist, Blue, Max and others. He read each of the labels finally deciding to press the button labeled Pepsi Max, as if it was made for him. A can of this Pepsi substance fell at an opening at the bottom of the machine. He picked it up and looked at it. He also noticed that a large group of those low tech beings had gathered around and were carefully watching his actions. Maybe they wanted to learn something from his superior intellect.

When Maximus first saw the liquid, it had a bit of cream-white colored substance at the top with tiny bubbles, now it was gone and all that was left was the brownish liquid that appeared to be more stable at the moment. He removed the cap wondering if he should be drinking such a strange unknown substance, it might be toxic, acid, flammable or all three. He smelled the contents of the bottle, it didn't it smell like anything poisonous, but he didn't know if it was even meant to be a drink.

Then he noticed one of the low tech beings was drinking the liquid from a bottle just like that one while smiling and making strange poses. The creature appeared to be a young female of the species, about the same age as Atomic Betty. Of course, Betty couldn't possibly be related to this planet, being the best Galactic Guardian, she couldn't possibly come from such a low tech semi-uncivilized planet, besides this wasn't the only planet that had living beings similar to her species. Humans, they were everywhere.

The girl kept making posses and drinking the liquid. She had dark hair in a high pony tail and her face was painted in several colors, blue over the eyes, red in her mouth and pink on her cheeks. Maybe she was trying to communicate. Maximus' natural curiosity finally got the best of him and he drank the liquid, it tasted good, he would have to send it for analysis so that the recipe was deciphered and Chef Bernadette could prepare this drink and make it even better. People started clapping and cheering simply because he drank the liquid, which made Maximus' already big ego turn bigger. Maybe this was research enough, it was time to go home; he had an idea.

Maximus walked back to the center of the parking lot, followed by several small specimens that repeated the word 'kitty' over and over. He assumed that 'kitty' was their way of saying 'supreme ruler' or something like that. Once in position under his ship, he informed Minimus to beam him up, leaving the group of primitive beings clapping and cheering. He didn't notice that just as he was beamed up, Betty walked by and she didn't notice Maximus either.

xoxox xox xoxox

The next day in school, Noah told Betty about the publicity stunt Pepsi did. "It's too bad you missed it. You should have seen it, there was a guy dressed like a cat that came down to the parking lot in a helicopter that was shaped like a space ship. He went to the Pepsi vending machine and drank some Pepsi Max. Everyone was watching, I wonder if they had hidden cameras and were filming a new commercial."

Penelope walked by and overheard, "It's a good thing you weren't there or they would have to edit you out. I on the other hand will look great if they make that into a commercial. I wouldn't be surprised if they choose me as the next Pepsi star." Penelope continued walking down the hall as her annoying high pitch laugh echoed.

Noah shook his head, "Penelope kept posing and trying to get the actor's attention. She had so much make up on she looked like a clown." They both laughed at this.

End of Planet 92

xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox

**Planet 93: Unworthy**

Maximus' classic evil laughed echoed all over the lair sounding particularly insane today, even more so than usual. It was the middle of the afternoon and that meant snack time. Before Maximus screamed his sidekick's name and before he had an excuse to hit him on the head, even if he did without one, Minimus rushed to Maximus' not so secret, secret lab, following the sound of his evil laugh.

The sidekick carried freshly backed cookies of a delicious secret recipe made by Chef Bernadette and a glass of milk that came from a fruit instead of an alien cow. He tried to make sure he didn't drop any of the cookies from the jewel covered little plate they were on. Last time that happened, he put them back on it, but Maximus somehow noticed the cookies had been on the floor and no longer thought they were worthy of him. In the center of the circle of cookies there was a chocolate cupcake with lots of sugary frosting.

Feeling thirsty along the way Minimus thought about drinking some of the milk. Pictures of a white fruit danced in his head as he almost tasted the cold liquid. No, he couldn't even have a small try, Maximus would notice. Why did he have to pay such close attention to every detail of his snack? He complained about everything as if he was constantly searching for something to complain about.

Minimus had asked that question before and to that Maximus answered with a speech about the importance of snacks to a super villain. To summarize, the snack had to be worthy of him. The speech was quite long, so long you'd think it was Sparky talking about food, then again Sparky would never simply talk about it, he would eat it and he wouldn't complain about food not being worthy of him. He would simply eat it, even if it wasn't edible.

As Minimus came closer to the not so secret, secret lab, he heard the insane sounding evil laugh again and wondered what could Maximus be doing that made him create another variation of his classic evil laugh. "Your evilness," Minimus placed the snack on a table and stared at it for a moment, before returning to reality and reminding himself Maximus would be very angry if he dared to try his snack. "Your evilness, I brought your snack. Don't you want it? If you don't want it, can I have it?"

"Of course I want it!" Maximus IQ came up behind Minimus, and scared him a little with a sudden, yet somehow expected hit to the head.

However, Minimus was more frightened when he turned around and didn't recognize the lynx that hit him. "Your evilness, a mad scientist broke into the lair!" Minimus ran around in circles, until he tripped over his own feet and fell flat on the floor.

"Idiot!" Maximus hit him on the head once more. "I'm not a mad scientist, I'm Maximus IQ, the greatest supreme super villain evil genius overlord in the entire universe!" He removed his goggles and placed them on top of his head.

Minimus blinked, it kind of looked like Maximus, except he was wearing a white lab coat, black boots and matching black gloves. His hair looked longer and spiky, with the classic style of mad scientist that looked like he brushed his hair with lightning. "I didn't recognize you in the mad scientist disguise. Why are you wearing a mad scientist disguise?"

"Some sidekick you are! How dare you not recognize me? It's clear you don't know anything. Every super villain should dress up as a mad scientist at least once. All the villains do it in their free time when no one is looking," Maximus explained.

"But your evilness how do you know they dress up as mad scientist if no one is looking?" Minimus reasoned.

"How do you know they don't?" Maximus countered. Minimus decided it was best to end the argument and Maximus continued, "how dare you bring me this? I told you," he said pointing to the chocolate cupcake where he had taken a bite from it. "That I wanted the one with the cream filling!" Minimus then realized he had forgotten to mention that detail to Chef Bernadette. "Where is the cream filling?" Maximus took another bite of cupcake. "This is not worthy of me!" Maximus took a bigger bite. "Not worthy!" He repeated after eating the rest. "The chocolate chips on the cookies are too small," he ate those too while complaining. "This isn't good enough, how do you expect me to eat this? I can't!" He finished the snack and drank some milk. "Make sure you get it right next time!"

Minimus was about to ask why he ate the snack if he claimed it wasn't worthy of him, but his survival instincts told him not to. "Yes, your evilness." It was, relatively, just another ordinary day for Minimus.

End of Planet 93

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**Planet 94: Well Informed**

Betty was working on a school project with Noah and Paloma, when her bracelet chimed, signaling that her presence was needed in outer space. "I'll go get the text book." By now Noah was used to her disappearing every time her bracelet made that sound, though he never knew why.

"Be careful not to catch a cold," Paloma warned for no apparent reason.

"Okay," Betty wasn't sure what that was about. She ran out of her room where they were working and answered the call. "Atomic Betty reporting for duty!"

xoxox xox xoxox

Betty returned to Earth sooner than expected that time. Maximus didn't put up much of a fight with the cold he had. He ended up giving up and going home to try to sleep it off. One thing remained a mystery though, was there was a connection between his state and Paloma's warning? Nah, it had to be a coincidence...

End of Planet 94

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty or Pepsi. Planet 92 takes place before the episode Pop Goes the Maxx.


	22. Part 22

Atomic Galaxy

Planet 95: High School

It was the classic high school alternate universe story that started with the introduction of certain students and faculty. First we see a robot with just about every cleaning utensil in its system, everything except a broom. Who ever designed this robot must have forgotten to equip one of the things used the most. So the robot, unable to provide a broom from his systems, headed for the cleaning closet to find one. Upon opening the door, two blue skinned students came to view, however they were too focused on each other to notice the robot. "That is an inappropriate course of action," the cleaning robot stated in monotone. "Please exit the area and refrain from such actions on the school grounds."

The two students realized that they had been discovered and stopped kissing. "I should turn you into a," the boy started.

The girl quickly stepped out of the closet. "No, it's my turn!" She froze the cleaning robot. Her name was Iciclea, a beautiful teenage ice queen.

Her boyfriend Solovem, heir to the throne of Mortavio stepped out of the closet as well knocking, down a few cleaning appliances as he did. "Isn't this the same robot I turned into fire breathing dragon last time?" He poked it curiously.

"The effect must have worn off." It didn't sound like too much to Iciclea. Her ice would eventually melt, she was used to it.

"But it wasn't supposed to!" Solovem was frustrated with his magic. His father had told him that he was still too young and becoming a powerful black magic wizard took hundreds of years.

xoxox xox xoxox

In gym class, Betty and Maximus were locked in a light saber duel, they were using fake light sabers, but dueling as if they were real. "As I have been saying for the past twenty minutes, you may stop now, you both passed." The gym teacher, Spindly Tam Kanushu repeated. Yet the two students did not pay attention and continued dueling. Their classmates watched with interest and worry at the same time. They hoped that Sensei Kanushu didn't expect them to do that well to pass the test too.

One of the students had snuck out of the gym; he was a Martian by the name of Sparky, with a big nose and a bigger appetite. He always snuck out to eat a snack as often as he could. He ran to the cafeteria were Bernadette, another student who worked part time at the cafeteria was. "I want a snack of... something!"

"Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?" Bernadette inquired.

"But I'm hungry!" Sparky complained. "Everything is so yummy I can't decide what to eat first."

xoxox xox xoxox

The bell rang signaling that it was time for lunch, no wonder Sparky was so hungry. Some time passed before Betty joined him at their usual table, along with their friends Rodger and Paloma. "How did the duel end Chief?" It was a nickname Sparky had for her, because she had always been like a leader to him. By now everyone except Sparky and Betty had finished eating. In Betty's case the reason was because she had just arrived and in Sparky's case because he ate a lot.

"I won, but it took me a while longer now. I'll practice and win faster next time," Betty was determined.

"I wish I could have seen it, but I was busy working on my hair," Rodger commented.

"Aren't you in history class at that time?" Paloma asked.

"Yes and I sit in the very back and brush my hair until it's over," Rodger replied.

"Have you noticed something today?" Betty's change of subject was welcomed by everyone except Rodger, who wanted to keep talking about his hair.

"That the food is even yummier?" Sparky took another bite of this burger.

"No, that the villains aren't at their usual table. Only Maximus and Minimus are there. Where are the others? Usually, when they don't spend the entire lunch hour trying to create a food fight, it's because they're up to something worse," Betty pointed out.

"You're probably right, we should investigate," Paloma agreed.

"But I'm not done eating yet!" Sparky complained. "I can't investigate on empty stomachs."

"Stay here Sparky, you too Rodger. Paloma and I will go investigate," Betty decided.

xoxox xox xoxox

Betty and Paloma ventured into the villain's territory and pushing Minimus, aside they sat down left and right from Maximus. "If you wish to speak with me, you must first make an appointment with my sidekick," Maximus kept his eyes on the wall on the opposite side of the room.

"Beware the flood," Paloma's eyes turned orange.

"What flood?" The mention of water in enough proportions to be called a flood, was certainly enough to get Maximus' attention.

Everyone knew that when Paloma's eyes turned orange a vision was coming to her. "I'm not sure, the vision isn't clear. I can only see it clearly if it takes place someone where I have been before. I see the halls wet but the source of the water is unknown to me."

"You're making that up," Maximus hoped she was.

"I'm not making it up. I'm not sure what will happen, but something will happen, something with water." Paloma grinned watching his frightened expression. "Lots and lots of water, icy cold water, so much of it we could all drown."

"Stop!" Maximus yelled and all heads inside the cafeteria were turned in his direction. He pretended like nothing was going on and soon enough everyone carried on with their own food and conversations.

"So Maximus, where is everyone today?" Betty got to the point.

"Everyone? I imagine they must be scattered all over the universe, where do you think, Betty?" Maximus answered sarcastically.

"You know what I mean. Where are the other villains," Betty insisted.

"It's Super Villains," Maximus corrected. Not only had she won the duel at gym, but she sat down at his table uninvited and said the name of their gang wrong. This was going too far.

"They're planning something aren't they?" Betty continued.

"Ouch! Who did that?" Maximus suddenly yelled. Betty and Paloma looked confused. "Someone stepped on my tail." Minimus was nearby but he wouldn't dare so that left Betty or Paloma. "Who did it?"

"I didn't do it," Betty replied.

"Me either, could it be her?" Paloma theorized.

The three looked under the table to find a blue alien girl with purple eyes, a twilek to be specific. "Whatever is happening, it must go on the school paper. The people need to know!"

"You may be evil Exa, but you are not a part of the Super Villains, get out of here!" Maximus yelled.

"I can't leave now, I have a great story! Maximus IQ, completely clueless about his fellow Super Villains' plans!" Exa crawled out from under the table and made a pose. "Now I, the great Exa Jerada, shall interview you!"

"Minimus get that paparazzi wannabe out of here!" Maximus complained.

"I'm afraid you have to leave now," Minimus tried to make her go away but Exa ignored him completely, which didn't really surprise the sidekick at all, everyone ignored him most of the time.

"Do you know what they're up to, Exa?" Betty asked.

"Of course, I know everything that's going on in this school. I knew Rodger's hair was a wig before it fell off that time. No one believed me when I wrote it in the paper, but after I was proven right, they learned to believe in my words!" Exa laughed like a maniac.

"Maybe a little too much," Paloma was right, just because Exa had been right that one time, didn't mean everything she wrote in the school paper was true. In fact, she had only been guessing about the wig, it was just a coincidence that it turned out to be true.

"You're just saying that because you don't know and I do!" Exa ran away and Betty and Paloma followed her.

Seeing their friends leave the cafeteria, Sparky and Rodger followed. Sparky was carrying several bags of to eat as he ran. Rodger stepped outside but as soon as he realized how windy it was, in fear of losing his precious hair, he retreated back into the cafeteria. As they approached one of the school buildings Destructa in her stone form stood in their way. "No trespassing past this point without a ticket!"

"There was a show going on? I didn't know," Sparky was puzzled.

"It was improvised, could you run back to the cafeteria and tell everyone? Tickets will cost five standard universal dollars. If you inform them for me, I'll give you my muffin tomorrow," Destructa offered.

"You have a deal!" Sparky ran back to the cafeteria to tell everyone about the show before Betty could stop him.

"Let's see what's really going on." Paloma's eyes turned orange as she tried to see what was happening that Destructa tried to hide. "I see someone I've never seen before, a new student."

"You're picking on the new student again?" Betty knew they always did.

"You may have figured it out, but no tickets means no entry!" Destruct insisted.

"Fine I'll buy one," Betty agreed and Paloma did the same. Soon Sparky returned from the cafeteria with a lot of students to see the show that Betty planned to stop.

"Alright everyone, this way." Destructa led them to an empty classroom as soon as she collected the money and handed out the improvised tickets.

The classroom was surrounded by a strange dark energy created by Solovem. "Those who have paid to see the show may enter."

Maximus made his way to the front of the line. "Out of my way, I'm getting a front row seat." He presented his ticket and Minimus followed, presenting his ticket as well.

"Betty, Paloma, Sparky, you three may not enter," Solovem glaring at them.

"I paid and I'm going in," Betty threw the ticket into his hand, but the force field didn't open for her.

"This isn't fair, we got the tickets, we played your game, so let us in!" Paloma insisted.

"Yeah, let us in, I want to watch the show!" Sparky added.

Paloma's eyes suddenly turned orange again. "Beware the flood!"

"That's the second time today. Are you planning to flood the school?" Betty looked at Solovem suspiciously.

"Not really, but the idea isn't bad," Solovem admitted.

"Solo, it's okay you can let them in," Iciclea spoke from inside the classroom.

"That's right we figured something out," Roxanne stretched enough to wrap herself around Betty, Sparky and Paloma to hold them in place. Soon everyone was inside. Penelope Lang kept complaining about where she was seated, but Maximus who had the best view front row center, refused to switch seats with her.

In a corner of the classroom were Optica and Iciclea, standing in front of something, as if hiding it. "Welcome everyone to our show!" Nuclea announced. "We call this show Static!" Everyone except those who were being held in place by Roxanne clapped and cheered.

Iciclea and Optica stepped aside revealing a boy trapped in a block of ice. Iciclea made a thin layer of ice appear on the floor and pushed the block to the center of the classroom, making it slip on the ice. Optica used her fire power to melt the ice, freeing the boy. Betty, Sparky and Paloma tried to break free from Roxanne, but they couldn't. Fortunately the human boy wasn't hurt.

"This isn't right," a blond human boy in the audience spoke.

Roxanne stretched even more to pull him into her grip as well. "Does anyone else have any complaints?" The audience was quiet. "I thought so." However, Roxanne was still a teenager developing her elastic abilities and could only stretch so far.

Betty noticed she was having trouble holding them. "Dylan, help us break free," she whispered. He nodded and started trying to get away with Betty, Sparky and Paloma, until they finally were able to escape.

It was too late, for the new student. Nuclea zapped him, the water left from the melted ice made the electricity stronger as her electric energy made it evaporate. The boy's brown hair stood up straight in spikes as he shivered and shook from the shock of electricity.

"Stop!" Betty stepped in. "You can't hurt!"

"What's the point, I doubt anyone would miss him," Nuclea countered.

"Is something wrong?" A voice came from the door. Standing there was a purple fish woman.

The students shook their heads at the same time. "Nothing," Nuclea replied.

Pontifadora was one of their nicest teachers as long as they stayed on her good side. She had her mischievous side, which made her highly tolerant to the students misbehaving as long as they didn't cross the line. If they pretended like nothing happened and ended it, then she would pretend she believed nothing happened and let it pass. "I thought so, but why are you in the classroom? It's still ten minutes until the end of the lunch hour." 'I can let them torture that new little weakling, but death would not look good in the school record,' she thought.

The show was over. Since no one wanted to get suspended or make a deadly hunter angry, most of the students hurried out of the classroom, leaving the new boy behind.

"Are you alright?" Betty asked.

The boy nodded, "I think so. I guess maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea, but my parents kept insisting and they worked so hard to get the school to accept my transfer."

"It's okay, don't let one bad day ruin your impression of this school. The villains are mean, but it's not this way everyday," Betty encouraged.

"Yeah, tomorrow will be a good day!" Sparky cheered. "Destructa promised to give me her muffin."

"Let' just hope she actually keeps her promise, villains are known to lie," Paloma reminded.

"Are you saying she might not give me the muffin?" Sparky grimaced.

Paloma's eyes turned orange as she tried to look into his possible future. "If you don't remind her everything will go smoothly, but if you do ,she'll turn to stone then throw you across the cafeteria. My suggestion is not to ask."

"That's not fair!" Sparky pouted.

Paloma shook her head, "next time don't listen to any of the villains."

"What's your name?" Betty asked the new boy.

"Noah," the new boy replied.

xoxox xox xoxox

Pontifadora entered the classroom. "Alright everyone, there's something important that I need to do," she walked towards a supply closet with a large lock. She opened it and took out a spear. Everyone knew she kept extra hunting gear there instead of school supplies. "I will not be here this afternoon so Mr. B-1 will be teaching you how to make robots for the next few days until I return from my hunting trip, I mean from my professional business trip." She closed the closet, locking it again, then headed towards the door. "One more thing, do not try to take Mr. B-1 apart." A few 'aw's were heard from disappointed students who wanted to do just that, but they knew better than to go against Pontifadora.

B-1 entered the classroom. He began explaining the principals of robotics and soon the students were divided into work groups to build a robot. "There will be three people in each group. The first group shall be composed of Roger, Dodger and-"

Before B-1 could finish, Rodger complained. "I don't want to be in the same team as my brother!"

"You're just jealous because my hair is real!" Dodger mocked.

"Enough! I will decide who is on each team. It's great to work with new people, right?" B-1 asked.

"No!" Everyone in the classroom replied at once. One of the things students hate the most is being stuck in a work group without their friends, or even worse, with their enemies.

B-1 decided to ignore their answer and continued. "As I was saying, the members of the first group are Rodger, Dodger and Paloma."

"What!" Paloma didn't predict that. "You can't pair me up with Mr. Hair and Mr. Wig! They'll drive me insane with their hair obsession!"

"Just give them a change," B-1 wasn't going to change his mind. "The next group will be composed of Penelope, Penelobee and Dylan."

The human Penelope and the half bee, known as Penelobee, glared at each other. "He's mine!" They both growled at the same time. Dylan looked terrified. He wondered if he would be able to come out of this alive. He remembered the last time Penelope and Penelobee got into a fight over him. Each of them pulled one of his arms and he was starting to think they would come off if Betty hasn't saved him.

"What about us?" Sarah and Megan asked at the same time. They were used to being in the same group as Penelope all the time.

"I will assign your groups soon," B-1 replied. "The third group will be composed of Sarah, Nuclea and Destructa."

"But I want to be in the same group as Optica and Roxanne!" Destructa complained.

"This is your chance to make new friends," B-1 insisted. "The next group will be composed of Roxanne, Iciclea and Duncan."

"I want to be with Solovem!" It was one of the few classes Iciclea had with her boyfriend and she wasn't even in the same workgroup as him.

"I want to be in Iciclea's group too!" Solovem added.

"I'll side with Iciclea on this one and trade Duncan for Solovem," Roxanne agreed.

"Sorry, no switching groups," B-1 remained firm.

"But Duncan is so stupid!" Roxanne complained.

"Who are you calling stupid?" Duncan asked.

"He's so stupid he can't even tell I'm calling him stupid!" Roxanne glared at him and everyone laughed.

"Calm down everyone! Duncan sit down, Roxanne, stop choking him, also return to your seat as well" B-1 urged. "Alright, next group, Solovem, Optica and Noah."

Optica and Solovem looked at Noah with evil grins. Even if he didn't get to be with Iciclea, at least Solovem would have a little fun with the new student. "Mr. B-1 can I please switch groups, please?" Noah begged.

"I'm sorry, but as I said before, no one can switch groups," B-1 reminded. "Next group, Chameleon, Exa and Spike."

"I'm hungry," Spike was a Martian like Sparky, but he had purple hair.

"Did you eat lunch?" B-1 asked.

"Yes, but I'm still hungry," Spike replied.

"Me too!" Sparky agreed.

"I'm sorry, it will have to wait. If you finish early I'll let you leave so you can have a little snack before your next class," B-1 promised and Spike and Sparky looked happy enough with that.

"Alright Chameleon listen up I'm the boss of this group," Exa declared. "You will, turn into something small and spy for me so I can get a good story for the school paper!"

"You're not the boss of me!" Chameleon snapped.

"One word, blackmail." The twilek grinned evilly, knowing she had the upper hand. Chameleon's frightened expression was worth a thousand words.

"Next group, Kentarii, Virginia and Enormo," B-1 announced. Kentarii was a fox alien and Virginia was a human. They smiled at each other. Clearly they had no complaints about working together. They completely ignored Enormo, who was not too happy about that. "I'm glad that there are no complaints." Enormo was trying to get B-1's attention but he didn't see him. "Where is Enormo anyway? Was he absent today? Well, you'll have to work by yourselves for now and he will join you next time. Someone should call him and tell him about what we discussed in class today."

Enormo gave up and sat quietly, "no one ever listens to me."

"The next group will be composed of Anvi, Kendo and Guineo," B-1 announced.

Anvi was a human; she had black hair, dark brown-black eyes and pale skin. She liked technology so she would probably do well in this project. Kendo was a lynx with gray and white fur and blue eyes. Guineo was also a human, he had blonde hair, green eyes and an obsession for experimenting. It was too bad he couldn't be in the same group as Ichigo, but at least he had a new study subject. "Do you mind if I run some tests on the feline?"

Kendo didn't like the sound of that. "I'm not a guinea pig!"

"Leave him alone and concentrate on the project. As much as I like robots I don't like group activities. If you don't keep up, I'll finish it by myself and you'll get a big fat zero, that goes for you too Kendo," Anvi was usually quiet, but group projects put her in a bad mood.

"But I can't get a zero, I'll never be a famous scientist if I do," Guineo complained.

"Then do what I say!" Anvi commanded.

Kendo and Guineo nodded a little frigthened, "yes, ma'am!"

"For our next group we have Ichigo, Dingleberry and Karly" B-1 said.

"Good luck with that, Karly!" Sparky called.

Karly was a Martian girl, Sparky's cousin. She had a big nose, blue hair and glasses. "I'll be fine, it's just too bad I didn't get paired up with a hot guy," Karly sighed.

"Two specimens to study!" Ichigo looked at Karly behind a magnifying glass.

"If you try anything I'll shove that magnifying glass somewhere painful!" Karly growled and Ichigo immediately backed away. Dingleberry didn't say anything; he just looked at Iciclea like a sad puppy that misses its master.

"Next up we have Megan, Minimus and Bernadette," B-1 decided.

"Minimus, I didn't hear you complain," Maximus glared at his sidekick.

"No complaints here, I get to work with Bernadette," Minimus smiling, then his head spun around, "and not with you."

"I have a complaint!" Bernadette raised her hand.

"If it's about switching groups then I'm sorry but no," B-1 guessed it was.

"What do you mean you have no complaints Minimus? You're supposed to be my sidekick!" Maximus hit Minimus on the head.

"Too bad we couldn't be in the same group your evilness," Minimus' normal face spoke, "not really," his other face added.

"For our final group, we have Betty, Sparky and Maximus," B-1 announced.

"What? How dare you leave me for last and to put me in the same group as those two? This is unforgivable!" Maximus yelled.

"For the millionth time, no one can switch groups!" B-1 insisted. "Well that's all thirty-three of you. You may start working on building your robot. First we will put together the body of the robot, then we will work on something very important, the artificial intelligence unit, but that will be done tomorrow. We will be working with a model, making small modifications. Everyone, go sit with your group."

"A model? I hate pre-made AI's I'm making my own," Anvi decided.

"But isn't that a little complicated?" Kendo asked.

"Not at all, if you program a basic series of variables properly and base the more complex variables on them, taking into consideration certain basic rules of programming, you can easily organize and construct a good artificial intelligence unit with different reactions to events, accordingly to the stored data, giving the robot a very realistic feel. From there you can move on to more complex formulas. Some important things to take into consideration are-" Anvi continued her high tech speech.

Kendo listened, having no clue of what she was saying and Guineo felt as if his head would explode. His specialty was genetics, he didn't really know a lot about robotics, which was Anvi's specialty. Kendo appeared to get by okay just smiling and nodding as if he understood.

The construction of the robots started and with it came many arguments for all the groups, especially for Betty, Sparky and Maximus. Betty and Maximus kept arguing over the robot's design and Sparky just wanted to get it over with so he would have more time for his snack.

xoxox xox xoxox

The next day, long after the morning bell rang, Maximus was trying to look evil. "Shouldn't we be in the classroom by now, your evilness?"

"Be quiet Minimus, I'm practicing looking evil," Maximus ignored the bell.

"What for?" Minimus asked.

"How could you ask that? Isn't it obvious? For my wanted poster, evil super villains are like movie stars. Does this look evil?" Maximus made a face.

Minimus held back a laugh. "That just looks ridiculous," his angry face replied before his head spun around. "You look very evil, your evilness, that's why you're the evilness," Minimus normal face tried to save the situation.

Maximus hit his sidekick, making his two faced head spin for his earlier comment. "I'm going to stay here for a little while and practice looking evil," Maximus continued looking at the mirror.

"Okay, see you later, your evilness," Minimus rushed out of the boy's bathroom, unable to contain his laughter. He ran down the hall and towards the classroom.

Looking at the mirror, Maximus saw that face from before really did look kind of funny. Maybe he was trying too hard, or maybe he was having a bad evilness day. "Why don't I look evil today?" Maximus said yelling at no one in particular, since there was no one else there, while looking up at the ceiling. As easily distracted as any other lynx, Maximus quickly forgot about looking evil and stared at the ceiling with something new to think about. "I never noticed that there before."

There was a little door in the ceiling. He knew it must have been there since before he came to that school, but it was the kind of thing that was easily missed. His natural curiosity kicked in full force and determined to find out what was out there, he jumped on a sink opened the little door, then climbed in.

xoxox xox xoxox

It had only been a few seconds after Maximus left when Chameleon arrived. It looked like the bathroom was empty. Good, no witnesses. Exa had him working all the time with the threat of blackmail with baby pictures. How did she get them anyway? Either way, it all came down to one thing, Chameleon was not having enough time to try to steal the position of Maximus' sidekick away from Minimus. This would certainly make a difference.

Chameleon stuffed some paper into the sinks then opened them. The water quickly filled the sinks then fell on the floor. Once his work was done, Chameleon left to inform Maximus about the evil thing he had done. Surely, he would be impressed and make him his new sidekick.

xoxox xox xoxox

Maximus had decided that he wasn't so curious after all. It was just a creepy dark tunnel, nothing interesting. It wasn't like he was afraid, oh no, he was only terrified. He made his way back to the little door from where he came, but what was his surprise when he got there and found that the bathroom was flooded three feet already. It looked like the sinks were plugged and the water continued running, filling the bathroom.

Obviously this didn't happen by itself. Someone must have done it. "This can't be! I'm going to die! No, I can't drown in a school bathroom, that's a totally pathetic death!" There was no way he was going to jump down into the water, so instead he crawled deeper into the tunnels above. It was dark and creepy, but at least it was dry.

Maximus continued following the tunnel, not knowing where exactly he was going. Then he heard voices. "I thought you were in a business trip," that voice sounded like the principal, Degill.

"I know, but I missed you Gilly, so I took a small break from hunt-I mean, from the professional things I was doing in my professional business trip, so I could come to visit you," the other voice sounded like Pontifadora.

With his curiosity returning, Maximus followed the voices until he came to another little door. However, he didn't notice the loose door until it opened under his weight and he fell on a desk. He might have landed on his feet like a true lynx, but that didn't save him from ending up on the floor after he fell backwards from pure shock.

"Maximus IQ! What are you doing in my office? Wait, I know the answer to that one, you must have gotten into trouble again. Instead tell me why did you come from the ceiling?" Degill's usual golden color was decorated by red now. He had locked the door thinking that would be enough to keep the students out so he could be alone with Pontifadora.

Pontifadora had the same red color on her face as well. "Now Gilly, I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this," she spoke in a tone so calm it was beginning to scare Maximus. She picked up a pen from Degill's desk as Maximus backed away against a wall. "You were looking for your classroom and came here by accident didn't you?" She threw the pen and it was embedded into the wall, missing Maximus by a hair.

The scared lynx nodded, "yes."

"Pop quiz, what's the most painful way to kill a lynx? Oh, wait I don't think we've gotten to that chapter in class yet, have we? Let me ask you something else. Will you tell anyone what you saw?" Pontifadora asked.

"No!" Maximus quickly answered.

"That is the correct answer, I give you an A. Run along now, I'm sure there's somewhere you need to be," Pontifadora shooed him away.

Maximus rushed out of the office. "Ew cooties, I'll have nightmares until I graduate." The bell rang, signaling the time to switch classes and the students flooded the halls. Maximus was quick to find his sidekick and without giving Minimus the chance to say anything, he hit him on the head. "How dare you abandon me in that death trap? I could have drowned or been murdered!" By the time Minimus' head stopped spinning, Maximus had noticed someone. "What are you doing Exa?"

The girl was holding a small recording device near him. "Just getting the latest news, continue as if I wasn't here."

"But you are there and you're recording me," Maximus worried. What if Pontifadora heard that recording and thought he didn't keep the secret about what he saw in the office? "Give me that!" Maximus took the small recorder.

"No!" Exa pulled it, neither of them willing to let go.

"Don't just stand there Minimus, do something!" Maximus yelled.

Minimus tried to take the recorder, but knocked it out of their hands, sending it sliding across the polished floors of the halls. A raccoon boy opened his locker as the recorder slid by, hitting it and sending it further away. Maximus and Exa raced for it. As they approached, it looked like Exa was going to dive in a desperate attempt to recover her recorder. Maximus saw this and grabbed Minimus by the tail, swung him like a hockey stick and hit the recorder with his head.

The recorder was sent flying straight towards the gym teacher, Spindly Tam Kanushu, who ducked just in time. Standing right behind him was the science teacher, Dr. Cerebral. The recorder bounced off his helmet towards Maximus. Maximus hit it again using Minimus as a hockey stick, the hockey coach was watching the scene with his mouth slightly open, as the recorder headed towards him and he swallowed the recorder.

The coach coughed a little before the recorder went down his throat. Looking a bit worried, he touched his stomach signaling that it was too late. Exa made a run for it, leaving Maximus to take the blame. "You!" The couch walked towards Maximus. He used to be a principal in a middle school on Earth, but when he heard about the offer for a job as a hockey couch for an intergalactic high school he couldn't resist, working with hockey was what he really wanted to do for the rest of his life.

"I didn't do anything, it was Minimus!" Maximus accursed.

"Ow," Minimus's normal face complained. His head painfully spun around showing his angry face, "if you keep blaming me for everything you do, you'll never have an evil villain reputation, I will."

"Shut up, this is an exception!" Maximus kicked the sidekick away.

"There is no need to explain, I saw everything! I saw you running down the hall, I saw how you used your little friend as a hockey stick and I saw you when you hit that little machine sending it straight into my mouth. That little machine is now in my stomach because of you." His voice changed from serious to happy. "You were great!"

Maximus blinked, "I was?"

"Yes! That was excellent! You must join the hockey team!"

Maximus was about to say no, but he thought about it a little more. Betty was in the hockey team, so were Iciclea, Solovem, Dingleberry, Roxanne, Duncan, Sparky, Paloma and Dylan and some others, but that was not the point. The point was that Betty was there. He could get back at her for stealing his victory at the gym class test duel by stealing her spotlight at the hockey games. "Count me in."

"Wonderful! Don't forget to come to practice."

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It was time for hockey practice. "What are you doing here?" Betty feared the worse. Judging by the hockey uniform, it was pretty obvious why he was there, but she had to hear it just to make sure it was real and not only a nightmare.

"I'm in the hockey team now," Maximus confirmed.

No, it couldn't be. It was bad enough that she had to deal with Iciclea manipulating the ice, Solovem turning players into pugs to score extra and Duncan randomly hitting the pug without even aiming, but this was too much. "It's not as easy as it looks," Betty warned.

"I'm a very skilled super villain, I can handle it. In fact, I can play better than you. I'll make a lot of... um... baskets" Maximus tried to argue and failed miserably.

"This is hockey, we don't make baskets here, that's basket ball," Betty became more frustrated.

"I knew that, I meant to say I'll make a lot of home runs," Maximus nodded to himself.

"No, that's base ball," Betty sighed aggravated.

"Touch down?" Maximus guessed.

"That's foot ball, in hockey we make goals," Betty explained.

"What would you know? I'm such a great hockey player I'll make all of those things, baskets, home runs, touch downs and lots of goals." Maximus stepped into the ice and slipped. "Stupid ice skates not working right!"

"The skates don't give you instant balance, you need to learn to use them," Betty pointed out. "How did you get in the team anyway?"

"The couch saw my superior talent and practically begged me to join." Maximus attempted to get up, but he fell over and over again. "You sabotaged the ice didn't you?"

"I didn't do anything, you just don't know how to skate," Betty retorted.

"How dare you doubt my superior skill? It's all your fault!" Maximus crawled away from the ice once again into the safe solid floor and took off his ice skates.

"How's practice going?" In the background the coach saw Iciclea and Solovem happily skating together while Dingleberry followed them around like a lost puppy, they were not exactly practicing hockey, but at least they were on the ice. Roxanne was at the goal stretched enough to cover it completely. Sparky, Dylan and Paloma were skating, passing a pug to each other and Duncan was trying to hit it, but the other three made sure he didn't get to it.

"She sabotaged the ice!" Maximus pointed at Betty.

"I did not!" Betty defended.

"Now Maximus, if the ice had been sabotaged I would have noticed. Let me see your skates." The coach examined the ice skates but found nothing wrong with them. "Everything looks fine to me. You just need to get used to the ice, that's all."

"I'm not going back in there," Maximus pouted and for a moment Betty felt relived. She had enough to deal with on her team, but that feeling was short lived.

"Maybe I can arrange something, it's not everyday someone makes me swallow a little machine like you did. You caught me completely off guard and not many can do that. We could try playing a few games off the ice until you get used to it. We could play outside," the coach thought about it.

"That would be field hockey and the field is covered with snow so we can't do that." Was Betty the only one not getting sports mixed up today?

"Snow hockey!" The coach cheered happily.

"It's three feet of snow out there, I'm not going," Maximus pouted. Such was the weather of the mysterious planet where their school was located. It could be sunny one day and snowing the next.

"Alright then, I just got a great idea," the coach threw out his next plan. "Hall hockey! You did well in the hall, so you'll be more comfortable there." It was decided the hockey game would take place in the hall.

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Rodger was heading towards the bathroom to look at his precious hair in the mirror. He couldn't get a clear view of it in his little mirror, but soon he could stare at it in all its glory in a bigger mirror.

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At hockey practice, the coach was giving the students the news about the location of their next game. "Beware the flood," Paloma warned with glowing orange eyes.

"Flood? No there will be no flood in our game. We'll just have it in the hall, everything else will be almost the same. Except for the he limited movement space, the long corridor and the lockers on the sides. This will be very exiting. I might even go down in history as the creator of a new version of hockey, hall hockey!" The coach cheered.

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Rodger was about to open the door to the boys bathroom when he noticed water on the floor, slipping under the door. He had heard about Paloma's flood prediction. Exa had spread the word and most people avoided water just to be safe, which meant that most people stayed away from water fountains, the pool and the bathrooms. Rodger shrugged, it was probably nothing, then he opened the door.

A massive flood came out with incredible pressure, throwing Rodger across the hall and his wig even further away. It was the flood Paloma had predicted. The water invaded the halls as students screamed and ran in a panic, trying to get away from the massive river that threatened to drown them. The water had gotten inside the little tunnels in the ceiling, providing a place for more water to accumulate. Degill had already sealed the little door in the ceiling of his office after Maximus dropped in, so all the water came out by the door in the bathroom.

By the time the hockey team arrived at the hall the flood had passed, but there was water everywhere. The victims of the flood told their classmates who were fortunate enough not to witness it about how they survived the river of doom. Rodger was drying his wig while plotting his revenge for whoever did this. "When I catch the one who locked all that water in the bathroom, he's gonna pay!"

"I forgot about the water, I guess someone finally opened the door," Maximus recalled.

"You mean you did it?" Rodger glared.

"I didn't do it, but I saw the water from the ceiling," Maximus explained and Rodger looked confused. "There's a little door at the ceiling."

"I'm usually too busy looking at my wonderful hair to notice such things. So you saw the water, escaped by the ceiling and didn't tell anyone?" Rodger inquired.

"Yes, that's all that happened," Maximus skipped the part about falling in Degill's office.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Rodger yelled.

"I'm an evil super villain, I don't warn people!" Maximus yelled back. He knocked the half wet wig off Rodger's head with his hockey stick.

"My hair!" Rodger dived to recover his wig.

"That's it! I knew you would do better in the hall!" The coach cheered.

Betty shook her head. "What a disaster." Hockey without ice just wasn't hockey to her. Iciclea was also quite upset since she liked ice so much.

"There you are! I've been trying to find you for a while," Chameleon finally found Maximus. "What do you think of the evil thing I did? I was the one who plugged the sinks and made the flood!" Without a word, Maximus got his hockey stick ready. The wet students quickly caught on and gathered at the opposite side of the hall. Maximus hit Chameleon as hard as he could and sent him flying into the angry mob.

xoxox xox xoxox

The day of the next hall hockey game came and for that purpose the halls were cleared. The audience watched from the safety of their lockers closing the door to shield them selves when the action came too close. With so little space, the game was thrown into chaos.

It got worse when a golden colored robot rushed in shooting lasers at everyone. "No! You were not supposed to do that until I said so!" The robot ignored Maximus.

"Our project!" Betty chased after the robot, trying to turn it off, but the robot was too quick and there were too many people in the way. Luckily, the robot ran out of energy and stopped.

"Since the challenging team will have to be taken to the hospital because of laser injuries, the victory goes to us!" The coach cheered. The first ever game of hall hockey had ended with a very unusual victory.

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The days passed and it was time to present the robot project to the class. "This robot isn't evil enough!" Maximus complained. The robot was a golden color with glowing blue eyes and 'X-5' written on it. "What's the X-5 for?"

"He's an ex-villain who had to be rebuilt five times," Sparky explained.

"Why did you let him name the robot?" Maximus asked.

"Be cause he really wanted to," Betty answered. There was a pause. "Aren't you going to complain because you want to name it?"

"Actually, no, that goody-goody piece of metal isn't evil enough to be named by me," Maximus replied.

Everything turned out well in their robotics project after all. Most of the time, X-5 could be found following Betty around school, just like Y-3 followed Anvi. She too had a story about the name Y-3. Why three? As in 'Why must robotics class teams be made of three people?' She had always preferred to work alone, but at least the robot turned out alright.

xoxox xox xoxox

Friends, rivals, new students, floods, strange versions of hockey, group projects and untold secrets, it's all part of the high school drama.

End

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty. Exa Jerada, Spike, Kentarii, Anvi, Kendo, Guineo, Ichigo, Karly, Y-3 and Virginia are original characters. Special thanks to Barry, who named Virginia aka Ginnie. 


	23. Part 23

Atomic Galaxy: Solar System XIII

Planet 96: Cosplay

Maximus heard of a cosplay competition with a very rare card as the prize, the legendary Penguin Dragon and he decided to try it out. He knew every other being Lynxia and Splatty would be there, but he was determined to win. All it took was a good deck and turning himself into a clone of Argellian, the main character of the series Argellian 90218365839374-J. That wouldn't be too hard, he only needed black fur, blonde hair and a fire red tail.

Maximus' father got home to find black footprints all over the carpet. The footprints came from the bathroom. Fearing the worse, he went to see what it was and found Minimus trying to clean the, used to be white now black, tub. He knew Maximus must have something to do with it. He must be turning himself into a clone of that character from TV. Arg-something, again. "Maximus! Did you see that mess?"

Maximus came to see, tossing red dye everywhere when ever he moved his tail. "What? Minimus cleaned it up last time, he can do it again."

"Why must you insist in looking like that Arg-something?" Max Sr.'s disregard for the name triggered his son's speech about all the coolness of Argellian 90218365839374-J. About an hour later, Maximus stopped ranting to finish getting ready and Max Sr. was left quite dizzy from hearing so many things he didn't understand.

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The first elimination round of the cosplay competition was a test of knowledge of the show, which Maximus easily passed. In fact, he knew things he wasn't supposed to know yet, since he hired a professional spy to spy on the author. Then came the card showdown which Maximus won, by cheating, but no one noticed.

The few contestants that had been left were to pull two card out of a box containing many without looking. Maximus got Kuri Kuri and Chibi Galactic Magician Girl. The final round would take place the next day. Each Argellian cosplayer was to bring two other cosplayers dressed as the cards that were drawn.

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Back home, Maximus was thinking of his options. "Minimus, I shall give you the honor of cosplaying as Kuri Kuri."

"But I don't have enough fur, Kuri Kuri's a hair ball!" Minimus complained. "I want to be something cooler, how about I go as Argellian!"

"Argellian doesn't have two faces! Besides, the extra fur will cover your second face and I already know what to do." Needless to say, Minimus knew he wouldn't like the plan. Maximus had that look that he got when ever he was going to do something that he would enjoy but Minimus wouldn't. Such was the case when Maximus emptied a bottle of shampoo all over Minimus turning him into a hair ball of overgrown fur.

"I don't think I can walk like this," Minimus tripped over his own fur.

"I'll take you to a pet salon to make you really look like Kuri Kuri. You're supposed to be all yellow too."

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It was not a pleasant experience for Minimus. With that done now they only needed someone to go as Chibi Galactic Magician Girl. Looking at the card, Maximus thought she looked familiar. He remembered one time he almost crashed his father's ship against what he thought was a space rockm but turned out to be a semi-uncivilized planet. Trying to gain control of the shipm he accidentally activated the beam and brought an uncivilized little creature to the ship.

The strange creature had big green eyes and red hair. She appeared to think he was a living plushie. She was strange. "I know who's going to be Chibi Galactic Magician Girl! Let's take dad's ship and get her."

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Max Sr. didn't like the idea. "You can't take my ship. Besides, the bathroom isn't completely clean yet and there's spots of red and yellow dye on the walls!"

Hyper as he was, Maximus didn't stop moving his tail, which caused red dye to fall everywhere and he had to shake his head a lot to make sure he had enough hair spray and the star shaped hair style of Argellian would stay how it should, but clearly he didn't take off all the blond dye before he did that. He was in a hurry to get ready. "Minimus, can't clean it now, he'll ruin the Kuri Kuri cosplay."

"Someone has to clean it and you're not going anywhere until it's clean!" Max Sr. argued.

"This is important! The Penguin Dragon card is my life! I'll die if I don't have it! Are you going to let the one and only heir to all the evil die so young?" Maximus complained.

"Clean it!" Max Sr. yelled.

Not the sad kitten eyes nor an all out temper tantrum would work, so it was time for plan C, rebellion. "You wanted me to be evil, well I'm being evil! Evil villains don't follow the rules and they don't take orders from anyone, so I'll start by ignoring you! I'm stealing your ship and there's nothing you can do about it! Mwa ha ha ha!" Maximus ran off.

Max Sr. stood there for a moment in silence, then he laughed evilly, though not with the same skill his son did. "It's about time that kid grew up into an evil villain."

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Maximus headed towards Earth and tried to find the same place where he almost crashed before. That time he had taken the strange creature he called Maxine, after himself, as a pet. There were so many strange uncivilized creatures in that planet, she would be hard to find.

Suddenly, a ship appeared on the radar and he hid behind the moon to see what it was. It was none other than the Century Warbler, Beatrixo's ship. Curious to know what Beatrixo was doing in this space rock they dared to call a planet, which couldn't possibly be her home, Maximus followed the ship from a distance to make sure she didn't see him.

Bea had to take Betty to the Galactic Guardian Head Quarters while she was on a mission since she wasn't going to let the little three year old all by herself. At that age children are very curious and she might activate something she isn't supposed to activate.

By the time Betty would become a Galactic Guardian, these memories would be forgotten, but maybe deep down she would remember something about her grandmother being a Galactic Guardian in the past.

As Bea exited the Century Warbler hastily, Maximus' ship almost crashed in the yard. She turned around slowly, holding her granddaughter, who for some unknown reason appeared happy to see that ship. "Who are you and why are you on Maximus' ship?" He looked so familiar, yet at the same time different. "Wait a minute, you're his son aren't you? You just dyed your fur. Shouldn't you be in evil villain school or something?"

"It's spring break why would I be in, I mean that's none of your business Beatrixo! Return my pet immediately!" Maximus aimed a laser gun at her.

"I stole nothing from you." It didn't look like he knew this was Beatrixo's home and he was probably too busy thinking of his missing pet to realize it. "Is that hair ball behind you the pet you said you lost?"

"No, that's Minimus. My pet is the one you're holding. Well she was my pet, but she wouldn't eat pet food, so I had to return her to her uncivilized world so that her uncivilized parents could find her and give her whatever it is she eats. That's none of your business, give her back!" Maximus insisted.

He didn't know Betty was Beatrixo's granddaughter. "Plushie!" Betty cheered.

Beatrixo looked surprised, "you know him?"

"My plushie," Betty nooded.

"See she knows who I am, well kind of. Maybe plushie means supreme ruler of the universe in her primitive language. Give her back!" Maximus insisted.

"Oh, dear, you're saying she's been outside of her primitive world before?" Bea hid that she lived on Earth too.

"Yes!" Maximus was getting impatient. "Are you so old you didn't hear? I already explained it."

"Don't you dare call me old. You younger super villains have no respect." Bea realized this explained that odd collar she found Betty had. It was quite expensive but the jewels in it were not from Earth, so she thought it would be best to keep it hidden. "This little one needs to stay here."

"I need her to be Chibi Galactic Magician Girl so I can win the Dragon Penguin card!"

Bea knew about that and the competition. Betty watched a little of it in the Galactic Guardians HQ. She remembered Galactic Magician Girl, Chibi Galactic Magician Girl looked the same, but smaller. "Granny, let me go with Plushie."

"You know I can't do that sweetie," Beatrixo tried to talk her out of it.

"See, even she thinks you're old. She called you Granny." Maximus laughed and Bea decided not to answer that, because if she did, he might discover that she was her grandmother.

"Alright, she can participate in the cosplay competition, but I'll be coming along too and I won't let her out of my sight, understood?" Beatrixo agreed.

It was just a competition and Maximus IQ wasn't an experienced super villain yet. He was clearly more interested in TV shows and video games than in taking over the universe, at least for now. Besides, Betty really wanted to go and this could be a good experience for her.

"It's a good deal your evilness, you should take it" The yellow hairball that once was Minimus spoke.

"Making a deal with the enemy? I don't know about that, she is a Galactic Guardian after all," Maximus mused.

"You're going trough a rebellious stage, remember? It's the in thing," Minimus reminded.

"Dad will be so mad if he finds out and if he doesn't, I'll accidentally tell him because that's the in thing now, I'm glad I thought of it," Maximus agreed.

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They got on Beatrixo's ship, because she insisted on driving, and returned to planet Splatty. "Where is this competition taking place?"

"Here are the exact coordinates," Maximus handing her a flyer advertising the cosplay competition. "First something must be done about Maxine's hair. I don't know why her primitive race insists on cutting it like this." It was the work of Betty's mother who had always been quite bad at cutting hair.

"Alright, I suppose it's okay to make a stop." Beatrixo would have to think of an excuse for Betty's nice hair later. At least she had enough time, because when it was time to go shopping, Betty's mother took an eternity.

The trip was longer than Beatrixo thought. Maximus decided he wanted an Argellian candy bar on the way and threw a temper tantrum about stopping to get a few. With all that chocolate, caramel and sugar in his system, it made him quite hyper and to top it all up, Betty got a hold of some of the candy bars and was full of excess energy too. "Did you see that? She liked the Argellian candy bar, well of course she did, everyone likes them!" Maximus found it amusing that a strange creature who refused to eat pet food liked the candy and kept giving her more.

"Don't feed her so much candy, you'll make her sick!" Beatrixo protested.

"She won't get sick. I eat tons of Argellian candy bars everyday and I never get sick," Maximus argued.

"Maybe not, but you'll have to get rid of the extra energy and get all hyper and... Stop running around the ship throwing things! You're giving Be, I mean, this strange being a bad example! Put that down! Maximus IQ, you have to behave!" Soon but never soon enough for Beatrixo, they arrived at the salon for Betty to get her hair fixed.

"This is a people salon, shouldn't we be at a pet salon?" Maximus mused.

"She's special," Beatrixo suddenly she found herself feeling sorry for her rival Max Sr. to have to put up with his spoiled, bratty, hyper son every day.

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The situation took an interesting plot twist when in a small moment of distraction right after Betty's hair was finished Maximus and the hair ball, aka Minimus, ran off with Betty. "Bye Granny!" Betty was not scared at all, for someone who was being kidnapped by the son of an evil villain, who would grow up to be even more evil than his father.

"Betty!" Beatrixo called in alarm.

"Hey lady, you need to pay for the kid's hair," it was too late, she had already chased after them.

Beatrixo ran as fast as she could, but she didn't have the hyperness of a sugar high so she arrived too late. She watched as the Century Warbler took off unable to stop it. Her only choice was to find another ship and chase them.

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The Century Warbler crashed near Maximus' house. Max. Sr. thought it was Beatrixo and prepared for battle, but it was his son who jumped off the ship. Maximus IQ looked at the oversized laser cannon his father was aiming at him. "You must be really angry... awesome!" Then he ran inside as if nothing happened with a yellow fur ball following.

"How did you get Beatrixo's ship? Where's my ship? Maximus!" Max Sr. was ignored.

"Minimus, did you order the Chibi Galactic Magician Girl costume like I told you?" Maximus, threw random packages with all kinds of things aside.

"I ordered it right before we left with instant delivery, so it should be here," Minimus aka the yellow fur ball Kuri Kuri replied.

A few parts of weapons of mass destruction were broken being tossed aside. Finally, after throwing random deliveries aside, Maximus found what he was looking for. "Alright let's get ready," they ran off to his room to continue the preparations.

Maximus looked at little Betty, aka Maxine, she had some form of prehistoric clothing so she must understand the concept. "Look Maxine, pay attention. This is a costume, you're supposed to wear it, understand?" She nodded. "Good girl, here you go."

The next thing Betty knew, she was practically thrown into a closet and her door was closed. I was a little dark, but she managed to change into her costume despite the darkness and clutter. When she opened the door many, things fell out of the closet ,burring her under the avalanche of random objects.

"Maxine!" Digging in the mess of random items, Maximus pulled her out. "Look! She's wearing the costume. She looks just like Chibi Galactic Magician Girl!"

"Just don't get attached to her, remember you can't keep her," Minimus grumbled, though it was impossible to see which face spoke with all the long fur.

"Shut up Minimus! Maybe she can live on candy bars. Maybe she can stay." Now that Maximus found something to feed her, Maxine would stay and be his pet forever. "Let's go to the competition," back in the Century Warbler they went.

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The competition went well. People were supposed to vote on who looked more like the characters from Argellian 90218365839374-J. Everyone thought the Chibi Galactic Magician Girl was so cute that was what decided the victory. After some card trading and duels, easily won by the price card, it was time to return home.

"Sleepy" Little Betty yawned. It was rather late and the sugar from all the Argellian candy bars she ate was starting to ware off.

"You can nap while we fly back. I'll get you some pet toys too." Maximus admired the rare card, Penguin Dragon. It was an odd looking creature mostly a penguin with a breath of fire and a tail and wings of a dragon. "This is the rarest card, the only one that's one of the kind."

"Can I see?" Little Betty asked.

"I guess so... You learned a lot more words didn't you? When we first met all you could say was 'plushie' and 'mine'," Maximus handed her the card. "Be careful with it, it's very important."

"Hey how come you never let me touch your cards?" Minimus complained.

"Because I don't want you to break them! Obviously Maxine is a lot smarter," Maximus argued.

They had finally found the Century Warbler parked among, who knows how many other ships. What they didn't expect was to find Beatrixo already there. "Granny!"

"It's nice to see you're safe. I knew you could take care of yourself," Beatrixo was relieved. Maximus was still assuming that 'Maxine' called any older person granny or grandpa and it didn't mean they were related. After all, that space rock they called a planet was too primitive for Galactic Guardians. "You didn't keep your end of the deal!"

"I'm a super villain, what do you expect?" Maximus reminded.

"I thought so. Since I'm such a nice Galactic Guardian I'll let you remove that ship from that primitive planet. Let's hope the locals haven't damaged it," Beatrixo knew nothing would happen to the ship but she had to put up an act.

Maximus imagined a bunch of primitive beings dancing around the ship, claiming it was some sort of superior creature sent to protect them. Then he thought about what would happen if they recognized the ship as something evil, it was the ship of a super villain after all. They would most likely try to destroy it. Hopefully they wouldn't be able to do much with rocks and sticks. The four went inside the Century Warbler and took off towards Earth.

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During the trip, Betty fell asleep. They soon landed on Earth. "Looks like your ship's alright. You were lucky after all. The locals must be afraid of it."

"Yes, I'll be going now," Maximus hurried toward his father's ship but Beatrixo stood on the way.

"Aren't you forgetting something? She has to stay here. Her parents must be looking for her," Bea insisted.

"I bet they don't give her enough candy or toys and I've seen what they do to her hair, I'm taking her with me," Maximus argued.

Bea shook her head, "you know you can't do that."

"But she wants to come!" Maximus complained.

Betty woke up, "plushie?"

"I'm taking you home," Maximus voiced.

"Is dad home?" Betty asked.

"Your father? He must be somewhere in this planet I think," Maximus replied.

"Mom said he was coming back," Betty recalled. Her father had gone on a business trip and was to return that day. It was also the day of his birthday, which was part of the reason her mom went shopping. In fact, they should arrive soon, they planned to have a little celebration with just the closest family members at Beatrixo's house.

"You actually want to return with your primitive parents?" Maximus asked.

Betty nodded, "my plushie, come home."

"You want me to come? I can't do that, this planet is too primitive for me. I can't survive in this strange jungle. Everything looks so prehistoric," Maximus couldn't imagine it.

"See? I told you she had to stay. You wouldn't want to make her cry, right?" Bea insisted.

"She's my pet, she'll like living in a better planet," Maximus argued.

"Come home plushie," Betty insisted.

Maximus realized, there was nothing that could be done. Maybe she wasn't meant to be his pet. "I guess it's goodbye again."

"Don't go plushie!" Betty urged.

"I can't stay and you can't adapt to civilization." Maximus placed her on the ground. "Maybe I'll see you again. Maybe some day you'll find a way off this planet. If you do, come visit me."

"I will," Betty assured. It was goodbye, but she knew she would find him again, yet she never imagined how. "Pretty card," she tried to return the Dragon Penguin card.

"You like it? Do you want to keep it?" Maximus offered.

Betty nodded, "thank you plushie!"

xoxox xox xoxox

Maximus and Minimus returned to Splatty. The Penguin Dragon was the last card of the set, there were 90218365839374 cards in total and the main character would eventually collect them all in the series, one per episode. The J was for 'join', something special was supposed to happen when all the cards were joined together. It was part of the legend of Argellian. Maximus wouldn't be able to complete his deck now, but he would at least watch all the episodes.

xoxox xox xoxox

Years passed and these events were either forgotten or ignored, as if they never occurred.

"Betty, you need to clean your room!" Betty's mother called.

"I did and Purrsey messed it up again," Betty glared at the cat.

"Don't say such mean things about your little brother. You need to clean it, it won't clean itself," Betty's mother insisted.

Knowing it would be useless to argue, Betty went off to clean her room again. She picked up a very old comic book and something fell out of it. It looked like a card with a picture of a strange creature that was a cross between a penguin and a dragon. Without thinking too much of it, she picked up the card and a Maximus plushie which had fallen next to it when Purrsey somehow released the avalanche out of the closet.

She knew where the plushie came from. Her mother had given her that plushie because it reminded her of Purrsey. Betty had spend a lot of time thinking about how in the world a Max Land plushie ended up on a store on Earth. She didn't know that disguised as a human, Minimus had accomplished his mission of selling the Max Land merchandise to this pre-contact world, of course he didn't know Betty lived there and she wasn't sure this was merchandise really from outside of Earth. In the end she had decided that it must have been only a coincidence that the plushie looked like Maximus.

Looking at the card with the Dragon Penguin picture, Betty got a strong feeling of deja vu. She had no idea where this card came from but she had seen it before. It was as if she had it for so long, she didn't remember a time when she didn't. It was one of those things that was lost and forgotten in the closet, then found. She looked at the card and the plushie.

What was it about this card and a plushie? She couldn't remember. She placed the plushie with a few others and kept the card. She was still trying to remember what happened related to that card but nothing came. Finally she shrugged and placed the card in a drawer, hidden from Purrsey, she had a strange feeling that it was somehow valuable.

End of Planet 96

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty. Special thanks to Barry I. Grauman, who gave me the idea for this story in a review. It's a Yu-Gi-Oh! parody, which seem to be everywhere lately. 


	24. Part 24

Atomic Galaxy

Planet 97: Betty My Dear

Betty's bracelet chimed, signaling an incoming call. She answered it wondering what could be the purpose to call her during a solo mission. But the one calling was not Admiral Degill to whom she spoke not too long ago. It was Sparky the one who called this time. "Hey chief, wanna come over and play video games and stuff?"

"Sorry Sparky, I can't. I'm on a mission right now, I have to go." Betty ended the communication and headed towards Chef Bernadette's new space restaurant.

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"I told you the Captain was busy," X-5 reminded Sparky on the Starcruiser.

"She can't be on a mission, why would she be on a mission without us and why was she all dressed up?" Sparky had noticed in the hologram, "that was not her Galactic Guardian uniform. I think she's on a date and doesn't want us to know about it."

"I think she's telling the truth," X-5 replied.

"She's on a mission to go on a date without us knowing, so yes she is telling the truth!" Sparky quickly typed a few things on the Starcruiser's computer and activated a radar to pinpoint Atomic Betty's location based on a tracking devise on her bracelet. "I found her, now we just have to follow the radar!"

xoxox xox xoxox

"For the millionth time, I'm Atomic Betty, the Galactic Guardian, and I'm here on a mission. Chef Bernadette was the one who requested my presence here to make sure everything goes well on the first day of business of the restaurant, because many important food critics will be here tonight. You have to let me in!" Atomic Betty tried to reason with him, but he didn't understand.

"I'm sorry miss, Atomic Betty," the alien at the door remained stubborn. "You cannot come inside without a reservation."

xoxox xox xoxox

Atomic Rodger and Sparky arrived at the restaurant at same time. "Look X-5, it's Atomic Rodger! He likes the Chief, he's the one trying to steal her away from us!" Sparky accused.

"I do not believe that's what's going on," X-5 differed.

"Atomic Betty," Atomic Rodger ran towards the entrance of the restaurant. Sparky and X-5 hid the Starcruiser in the back on the space packing and snuck closer, but they weren't close enough to hear them yet. "Admiral Degill said he forgot to give you this and sent me over to give it to you." Rodger handed her a card. "This will allow you to go in even without a reservation."

Sparky and X-5 watched from afar. "X-5 I think I'll need your help on this one. It's clear that neither of us is a match for this perfect specimen of hair," Sparky mused.

"You mean wig, he doesn't have real hair, remember?" X-5 reminded.

"Is it because I have helmet hair, is that it? She would take a wig over real hair because of that?" Sparky pouted. "As I was saying, it's clear that neither of us is a match for this perfect specimen of fake hair, especially not you. So we should put our differences aside and work together to save the Chief!"

"To save her from what? The Captain looks perfectly fine to me," X-5 reasoned.

"Yeah I know," Sparky stared at his captain.

"I didn't mean it like that. What I was trying to say is... Never mind, you're hopeless," X-5 gave up.

"Hopeless? You're just jealous because she likes me best. I'll show that Rodger!" Sparky snuck closer and hid behind a bush. Then when Betty wasn't looking, he tackled Atomic Rodger into the bushes.

Betty heard something and looked back, but Rodger was gone. 'I guess he was in a hurry,' she went into the restaurant.

xoxox xox xoxox

At Maximus's lair, "Minimus, Where's my dinner? Tell Chef Bernadette to hurry up before I die of hunger!"

"Your evilness, Chef Bernadette is not here," Minimus returned from the kitchen. "Look what I found in the kitchen," he held a note. "It was on the refrigerator with one of those little magnets that look like you."

"Let me see that," Maximus took the note. "I have to go to the opening of my new restaurant so I can't cook for you today. Order a pizza or something," Maximus read the note. "What? I'm more important than some new restaurant, I want my food!"

Minimus' ears were ringing and he was already starting to get a headache. "Why don't you go to the restaurant?"

"I have a better idea," Maximus decided, "I'll go to the restaurant!"

xoxox xox xoxox

At the restaurant, "what do you mean you can't let me in? I am Maximus IQ, the greatest super villain in the entire universe and if you don't let me in, I'll blow up this entire restaurant!" Maximus yelled.

The alien at the door refused to let him pass. "Like I said, no reservation, no entry."

As for Sparky and Rodger, they had an argument over who Betty likes best and since they refused to agree to disagree, as X-5 suggested, they decided to go ask her. However, that alien at the door wouldn't let them in and Rodger didn't have another entry card. X-5 thought about doing something to stop Maximus, but Sparky and Rodger disagreed, maybe he could distract that alien long enough for them to get in.

"You leave me no choice," Maximus aimed a laser gun at the alien at the door. "If you don't let me in, I'll use this!"

"You better believe it. He'll do it!" Minimus warned.

"You wouldn't dare!" The alien backed away.

"This has gone too far, we must stop him!" X-5 urged and this time Sparky and Rodger agreed.

However, before they could do anything, Maximus used the laser gun but not in the way they expected. He hit the alien on the head with it and knocked him out. "Who says laser guns don't work when they're not charged," Maximus walked into the restaurant, followed by Minimus.

"Now's our chance," Sparky ran inside the restaurant too, followed by Atomic Rodger and X-5, who was still trying to stop them, but there was no talking any sense into them.

xoxox xox xoxox

Inside, Maximus searched for Chef Bernadette to demand that his dinner by served immediately. He went to the kitchen, ignoring everyone who told him he was not supposed to go in there, and found Bernadette. "I want my food!"

"Just a moment, sir. The restaurant is full, I'll have your food ready in no time if you would please wait at your table," the very stressed chef was decorating an alien dish, but that voice sounded familiar and she turned around. "Maximus? What are you doing here? I can't work today, I need to be here at my restaurant. This is my life long dream!"

"I'm more important than anyone's life long dream!" Maximus pouted. "I'm hungry and I want my food!"

This was not looking good for Bernadette. Maximus could ruin everything with his complaints and this restaurant had to have a perfect review. "Alright, I'll let you eat here just go sit at a table that's not reserved for a critic and keep quiet until the food arrives." Bernadette pushed Maximus out of the kitchen and walked to a table. "Now you sit right here and read the menu. Then tell the waiter what you want."

"Fine, I already know how restaurants work so you don't have to explain," Maximus grumbled, then he noticed Betty, "Atomic Betty? What's she doing here?"

"Don't point, it's not polite!" Chef Bernadette said.

"I'm here to make sure everything goes well," Atomic Betty replied, not pleased with having Maximus join her table.

"Your first assignment is to make sure he doesn't complain and give the critics bad ideas," Bernadette ordered.

Maximus complained, "do I have to eat with her? I don't want to, she has Galactic Guardian germs."

"I don't have germs!" Betty glared, she thought her mission would be easy, but it was too good to be truth, she should have expected a twist like this.

"Just eat without complains for once in your life! This is my life long dream, have some mercy" Chef Bernadette was convinced that Maximus would one way or another ruin everything with his bratty attitude.

"I'm a super villain, I'm supposed to be evil," Maximus reminded.

"Make an exception this time or I'll never make your favorite brownies ever again," Bernadette threatened.

Maximus quickly nodded. "Fine, fine, I'll make an exception just this once, but do I really have to eat with her? Just because she looks all pretty in a dress, doesn't mean I want to be around her."

"The brownies Maximus, think of the brownies," Bernadette warned.

"Alright, I get it," Maximus pouted. Chef Bernadette finally returned to the kitchen and left Betty and Maximus to look at the menu.

"Did you just say I'm pretty?" Betty was obviously trying to annoy him, because he was annoying her.

"Yes you look very beautiful and-" Maximus realized what he was about to say and stopped. "No, I didn't! I said you looked pretty ugly, that's what I said!" He hid behind the menu. Betty found it so amusing she couldn't help it but to laugh.

Unknown to them, Sparky, Rodger and X-5 were watching. "What's going on, are they on a date?" Sparky feared the worse.

X-5 hopelessly shook his head. "I'm certain that there is a reasonable explanation for this."

"You're just jealous because out of all of us she likes you least," Sparky reasoned.

"Yeah and you don't have hair," Rodger added.

"He's a villain, maybe she likes evil men now," Sparky theorized.

"I hope you two are not thinking about turning evil," X-5 was worried as the other two nodded. "What if it's not that, what if there's actually a logical explanation for the Captain to be having dinner with Maximus?" Rodger and Sparky were not going to accept logic, so X-5 decided to play their game. "What if it's the sidekick, Maximus has a sidekick and you don't."

"Will you be my sidekick?" Sparky and Rodger asked X-5 at the same time.

"I saw him first!" Sparky claimed.

"But I have better hair!" Rodger argued.

Sparky took away Atomic Rodger's wig and threw it. An alien woman with long black hair was walking by and it looked as if the wig was going to hit her, but it instead knocked her wig off and took its place on her head. She touched the top of her head and felt hair, so she kept walking as if nothing ever happened, oblivious that her wig had been replaced.

"My hair!" Atomic Rodger watched the alien walk away with his hair.

"This gives me an idea," Sparky pickup the black wig and gave it to Rodger. "We should put our differences aside and work together to save the chief!"

xoxox xox xoxox

Betty and Maximus were eating, rather Betty was eating and Maximus was poking his food with a fork, wondering if it was still alive. "Eat up, you don't want to give people a bad impression of the food," Betty reminded.

"I can't eat this," Maximus complained.

"Why did you order it?" Betty asked.

"The name sounded cool, but I didn't know what it was," Maximus poked the octopus like creature on his plate. "I think it moved!"

"It's like gelatin, it's supposed to shake a little," Betty observed. "You ordered that thing so you have to eat it, don't cause trouble for Bernadette; I'm here to make sure of that."

"I have an idea." Maximus had told Minimus to hide under the table and come out at his signal.

Flashback

"How come I can't stay and eat and what is the signal?" Minimus had asked him.

To which Maximus had answered. "Because sidekicks don't get to eat in fancy places like this and you'll know what the signal is when it happens."

Minimus had crawled under the table his angry face muttering. "You just want to have dinner alone with Betty," which earned him a kick.

"That is the signal," Maximus growled.

End Flashback

Now it was time for the sidekick to assist Maximus by eating this strange creature so he kicked.

"Ouch, you kicked me!" Betty glared.

"Oops, I was trying to kick Minimus..." Maximus was about to kick again, but Betty stopped him.

"I'll kick Minimus for you," she kicked Minimus, who had fallen asleep under the table.

Minimus PU stumbled out from under the table. "Did you call, your evilness?"

"Yes, I want you to eat something," Maximus pretended to be nice, but it came out suspicious.

"Really? That's great because I'm really hungry," Minimus realized something, this was Maximus so there had to be a catch and there was. He knew that for sure when he saw what he was supposed to eat.

Maximus stabbed a fork into the octopus creature and forced it into Minimus' mouth. "That's it, now chew and swallow like a good little sidekick." After the ordeal, Minimus snuck away and went to hide under another table.

Maximus ordered something normal to eat and was about to eat it when he paused seeing Sparky arrive wearing a hastily made fake black mustache and Rodger with a choppy black wig. "Hello Betty," Sparky tried to fake his voice.

Betty looked around and spotted X-5, who shook his head and shrugged. "Sparky, Rodger, what are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, you must be mixing me up with someone else. I'm," Rodger tried to think of a name.

"Ridiculous," Maximus laughed.

"Everyone sit down and be quiet or you'll ruin my mission. Everything was going well until now and it's almost time for the critics to leave," Betty urged.

"Yeah everything was going well until you arrived," Maximus hissed and Sparky ate his food. "That was mine!"

"So what? You're trying to steal the chief away!" Sparky accused. "Don't date him chief, he's evil!"

"Yeah, date me instead!" Atomic Rodger suggested.

"I'm on a mission not a date," Betty clarified. "Besides, I don't want a boyfriend at the moment; I'm too busy for a man anyway."

"I'm not a man, I'm a Martian," Sparky reminded.

"I'm not a man, I'm a, wait, I am a man," Rodger's argument fell.

"I'm a lynx," Maximus caused everyone to look at him in surprise, "just saying!"

"Oh man," Betty shook her head and glanced at a fancy clock on the wall. "The critics will leave soon, so you three better sit still and quiet, got it?"

They nodded and sat down quietly, scared to death by her glare. All in all, the mission was a success. Chef Bernadette got excellent reviews and the restaurant was instantly named the best in the universe.

End of Planet 97

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty. Planet 97 was based on the Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends episode "Franky my Dear." 


	25. Part 25

Atomic Galaxy

Planet 98: Not All that Shines is Golden

Betty's Point of View

It's just another day at school and it's hard to imagine that soon this will be over. In just a few weeks I'll graduate from high school. I must admit I'll miss it, but at the same time I'm happy. Granny helped me pick a college where I can have a more flexible schedule with enough time for the Galactic Guardians and having friends. Lately it's just been Galactic Guardians, academics with some family time squished in and hardly any time at all for friends.

That will all change soon. It'll be great to be away for college. I'll still come to visit my parents on the weekends and Sparky and X-5 offered to teleport me to Granny's house so I wouldn't have to take the long drive. It might take a while for me to graduate if I take few classes so I have more free time, but that's okay, I'm not really in a hurry since this is just like extra credit for me. I already have my career, I'm a Galactic Guardian.

Penelope is being more insistent then ever. I notice as I walk by and see her holding on to Dylan's arm for dear life. She's going to pull his arm off if she keeps doing that. I feel sorry for him with that look of distress. I wonder if he'll ever give in. I would help him, I want to help him, but I can't help it but to remember how he got fed up with my constant lateness and yelled at me at the pizza place where we were supposed to meet two hours earlier.

Honestly, I felt like digging a hole on the floor somehow and staying in there hidden forever. Sadly Penelope was there and soon half the mall knew. I can't blame him for being angry, but he didn't have to yell, I really didn't expect it from him.

As I leave the school and walk home, I look around in search of Noah, but don't see him anywhere. I wonder where he went? Funny how he must always be wondering where I am and now for the first time I wonder where he ran off to.

"Betty!" I turn to look at Dylan who's running after me. "Hey Betty, can I talk to you?"

"Sure."

"I wanted to apologize for the other day. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. Forgive me?" He smiles that irresistible smile.

"You're forgiven and I'm sorry I was late."

"You're forgiven too. So do you have a date for the prom?"

I'm not sure what to say. Noah and Dylan are both my friends, just friends. I could say I don't have a date yet, because I don't. But then what if Noah asks? We usually go together to these school events and maybe prom shouldn't be any different. It's hard to decide. I've had a crush on Dylan for some time now, but I also like Noah and don't want to abandon him, then again shouldn't I go with someone because I truly want to? Okay, that aside I'll go with... I need time to think.

Before I can say anything my bracelet beeps. "I need to think about it." He asked if I had a date not if I wanted to go with him, but I assumed that would be his question.

"Call me to let me know," He doesn't sound satisfied with my answer, but not too disappointed.

"I'll call you soon, tonight or tomorrow at the latest." It shouldn't take too long to get a hold of Noah on the phone if I don't see him in person before then, so I don't think I'll be late for my call. I know it will be easier to decide once I talk to both. "Got to go, bye!"

xoxox xox xoxox

As I run off to find a private place where to answer this call I end up literally running into Noah, "sorry."

"It's okay," he looks at me then at the ground, then at me again. "So is it true that you're going to the prom with Dylan?"

"Did he say that?" I'm still conscious of the constant beeping.

"He said he was going to ask you and I thought you would go so..."

"I told him I would think about it, I have to go now, I'll call you later today." I run off yet again.

xoxox xox xoxox

I finally find myself alone and answer the call saluting, "Atomic Betty reporting for duty!"

"Atomic Betty, it's good that you finally answered, is everything alright?" Admiral Degill asks.

"Everything's fine sir," I'm not sure of what excuse to give him for taking so long to answer the call.

"Good, because we need your help right away, Princess Nova of planet Starlight is missing. The planet is divided into two kingdoms that are to be united by the marriage of princess Nova to prince Astro, if she is found on time. If not, this may mean a civil war that could devastate the planet. You must find the princess as soon as possible!"

This isn't that different from a few missions I had before, except this time there didn't appear to be any clues. "Are there any possible theories as to where the princess is?"

"Unfortunately not, planet Starlight has not received any communications asking for ransom, yet and the royal family is very worried. You must head there immediately and investigate."

"I'm on my way!" I salute once more and change into my Galactic Guardian uniform as I'm beamed up to the ship. There is one thing I completely missed, one detail that would put my secret in danger, I didn't know at the time, but Penelope was watching.

xoxox xox xoxox

"If those planets want to be one kingdom, why did they separate into two in the first place?" Sparky asked as we were on our way to planet Starlight. The mission seems too familiar. I'm sure we will be able to find some clues on planet Starlight and the investigation will progress from there. Maybe I was feeling a little overconfident, maybe that's why I missed very important details in the entire investigation process.

By the time we landed, X-5 was still telling Sparky exactly why the planet was divided into two kingdoms. He looked pretty bored and the truth is I'm bored by the history lesson also, but I didn't say anything. When we landed, we were escorted by the royal guards to meet the king and queen of the west region, princess Nova's parents.

"Galactic Guardians, I'm so glad you're here." The king looked like a human but had silver hair and eyes. "Find princess Nova, do anything you must just bring her back safely." During our short conversation, I noticed the king was very worried about his daughter's safety.

However, the queen was another story. She also looked human, her hair and eyes were a light blue. "Bring her back quickly, people have already started to exchange theories and some say she ran away because she didn't want to get married, but that is not true. My daughter would give her life for our kingdom and I don't want such things to be spoken of her." It looked as if she was more worried about the princess' reputation than the princess herself.

Either way, they were both counting on us to find her. "Is there anything we can do to help?" The king asked.

"I would like to ask you a few questions, your majesty," I replied.

"Go ahead," the king nodded.

Then the basic questions began. "When was the last time you saw Princess Nova?"

"She was on her way to meet prince Astro, but she never arrived," The king sounded sad.

"She's always on time, she's very punctual and responsible, something bad must have happened to her," the queen added.

"Was she alone?" Sparky asked.

"Yes..." The king answered. "She had gone all over the planet by herself before. Everyone knows her and cares for her. She had always been safe I don't know why that changed now."

"Besides," The queen added her own comment again. "She is a strong fighter, if anything did happen, I'm sure she could have defended herself long enough for help to arrive, she is even stronger than prince Astro."

Somehow, I get the feeling that the queen might not like prince Astro all that much. Of course, I can't tell her that directly, it would be disrespectful. "You don't like the prince much do you?" Sparky and his big mouth. I elbow him, hoping no one saw me do it and smile nervously.

"He is like his mother, but I'm sure Nova will help him change for the better once they're married," the queen ignored the 'be nice' look the king was giving her.

"Perhaps we will find more clues in the eastern region," X-5 suggested. "We should take the same route that Princess Nova took."

"She must have taken the royal road," the queen informed. "It is a road that circles the planet horizontally and only royalty are allowed to use it."

"In that case," I voice, "we will need your authorization to go to that road and search for clues."

"Of course, you may go anywhere you want, I prepared this access card when Admiral Degill said you were coming." The king hands me a small card with a glass like circle on the left and a magnetic black circle on the right. "I obtained your fingerprint data from Admiral Degill and as promised, I am informing you to confirm it is alright."

"It's fine," I agreed.

The king continues. "Place your finger on the black circle and it will identify you even with the glove on, the projector on the left will create a hologram which you must hold in front of the camera for the computer to confirm the recording of my voice and image."

The security system was kind of complicated. Each card was unique so every time a new one was issued a new recording was made with a password that worked for a specific person and a specific group of people in the company of that person. No two hologram videos looked the same and only the king, queen and princess could make valid videos. There was another copy in the main computer system at the palace that compared the two holograms to make sure they are exactly the same. That plus every time you walk through a door there is a metallic line along the door frame that at first glance looks like decoration but it's actually a scanner.

"The royal road's sensors indicate that she disappeared at this point." The kind handing me a keychain shaped like planet Starlight with a small switch on the side. It projects a map of the planet and obeys voice command to zoom in on a certain area and request information. There are some reference points marked, such as the location of both palaces and the point in which Nova was last detected in the royal road.

xoxox xox xoxox

With no time to waste, we go off to the royal road to investigate. On our way out of the palace, a girl of Sparky's species with light purple hair said something interesting. "Hi, I'm Comet, I'm Nova's friend... If you figure it out, please try to understand." She ran off after that. I think she worked at the palace, I wonder what she meant.

xoxox xox xoxox

The royal road is actually a bridge that goes in a straight line around the planet. It is surrounded by an almost indestructible type of glass and an energy force field. It's rather large in width and height, big enough for the Starcruiser and several other ships to fit inside its tunnel. The floor it decorated with jewels and there are gardens of rare flowers on the sides. So far nothing looks out of place.

Starlight is a very beautiful planet, called that because it glows like a star. From afar it looks like a star, but when you come close the light is less intense and it's actually pleasing to the eye. Since the planet itself emits light and heat, the fact that they don't have a sun or a large star near by doesn't interfere with the day light, however for that same reason there is no night.

It's a little strange to look at the sky and find no sun when the light looks just like the light on Earth, except for the part about not having the sun in your eyes. I'll have to remember to visit this planet again when this is over. Even a shiny glittery wild flower from here is very valuable in other planets. There is flora and fauna that can only be found here.

I snap myself out of the daydream. This is no time to picture myself walking down that road with Dylan on one arm and Noah on the other, which reminds me I need to decide who I'm attending the prom with. I've gone to every other event with Noah, but this time Dylan did ask first and I like them both, I can't decide... I'll think about it later, it looks like we're approaching the spot where the princess mysteriously disappeared.

Nothing, no clues, nothing; the place is intact and that's very suspicious. "Maybe it's time to pay a visit to prince Astro's palace."

xoxox xox xoxox

The visit was very short. Prince Astro just asked us to do what we could to find Princess Nova and notify him if we received a request for ransom, then he politely dismissed us, saying he had things to do. He also looks human with golden hair and eyes of the same color. Another suspicious thing is that the queen wasn't there.

According to Astro, his mother was with the council attending the preparations of the wedding. This is very suspicious indeed. Perhaps Nova's mother has a real reason to dislike Astro and his mother. Maybe someone is not telling everything they know, but why?

xoxox xox xoxox

We retuned to the western region to have a word with the queen about prince Astro, but we were informed by the guards that she was currently away, taking care of the princess' pet dragon so people wouldn't think Nova doesn't give her pet good care. The king was nowhere to be found either, he was off with a search party looking for his daughter.

It's just so strange that a princess could disappear from such high security place. How could she have just disappeared from the computer's watchful eye if there's a scanner on the royal road every certain number of feet and the place were her signal disappeared, as well as the rest of the way, had no clues or evidence of a fight or kidnapping occurrence. This really makes no sense. She must know how everything works around here, all the security. So if she was to escape unnoticed, she could.

We're about to leave to try to insist speaking with prince Astro again, his attitude was too calm, but then a guard runs to us with small hologram projector. Apparently he was instructed to bring any evidence their local investigators found to us. Suddenly the mystery starts to be solved.

There is a hologram video of Maximus asking for a considerable amount in either Starlight treasures or universal currency in exchange for freeing the princess. However, the princess doesn't appear in the video, which makes me doubt it. Maybe Maximus just wants to get rich out of this situation and doesn't have the princess, or maybe he does. Either way, this is the only clue we have so it's time to head off to Maximus' lair.

xoxox xox xoxox

Maximus' lair is oddly unguarded. Sure there are a few robots here and there, but it looks to me as if they're not trying to stop us, rather lead us somewhere. So instead of continuing, I crawled into a ventilation tube and told Sparky and X-5 to follow me. That appeared to catch the guards' attention, but we got away anyway.

It was from the ventilation system that I arrived above a room that reminded me of Mission Impossible. There I saw many treasures that looked like they came from planet Starlight. There were three people in that room. Maximus, Minimus and someone else. It looked like it was a silver haired woman of Sparky's species. "Do we have a deal?"

"Yes, this payment is acceptable," Maximus agreed. "The princess will never get in your way again." That woman must want to get rid of the princess, but why and who is she?

"Ready?" I whispered looking behind me at Sparky and X-5. They nodded their agreement and I kicked the ventilator's door open, falling from the ceiling into the room below. "You are both under arrest!"

"She's early," the woman was annoyed.

"How nice to see I'm expected," I drew my light saber. Maximus gets his light saber ready also and the woman tries to head for the door. Many guards run into the room and it looks like they're keeping Sparky and X-5 busy while I duel Maximus. Unfortunately, the silver haired Martian woman got away and from that moment on, everything became easier.

Maximus isn't making a big effort to win. That is suspicious, very suspicious. The guards that flooded the room are not too heavily armed either. Calling for some more guards, Maximus glances at a fancy clock on the wall, then runs out of the room. The mysterious woman escaped sometime during our battle about ten minutes ago. What's happening? I can't help it but to think that this is going as he planned and I'm falling right into a trap.

"We did it!" Sparky announces as we beat the last guard.

"We must find the princess, I have a feeling she's in great danger," I leave the room.

"It's Minimus!" Sparky spots him at the end of the hall as we run.

"Oh, no they are escaping!" Minimus runs off and I must say he's not a very good actor. I know he wants us to follow him.

"There is a 99% chance this is a trap," X-5 informs us. I agree with him, but there's not time to lose, this is our only clue.

"You're right, but we need to find the princess immediately." We are a little pressed for time since the princess has a wedding to attend, not to mention I have some phone calls to make.

Minimus doesn't run very fast and we could have caught him, but I signaled Sparky and X-5 to stay behind me. If we catch him now, he won't lead us all the way to wherever he's going, but I'm pretty sure it's important for our mission to go there. He might lead us to the princess. Maximus possibly has her hostage, but at least we'll find her and I'm sure we can figure something out from there.

Just as I thought Maximus, has the princess as a hostage but he has never taken a hostage like this before. There she is, princess Nova. She looks like a human like except she has silver hair and eyes like her father. She's tied up by various chains and Maximus is holding a gun to her head. "Don't step any closer Atomic Betty."

"How could you do this?" Sparky yelled in frustration.

"Please Galactic Guardians," Nova spoke softly. Her voice sounds oddly familiar but I can't recognize it. "Please leave now; I could not live with myself if harm comes to someone because of me."

"What do you want?" I ask firmly.

Maximus grins evilly. "Atomic Betty, you will-"

"Leave," Princess Nova interrupts.

Maximus looks at her then at me. "Atomic Betty, you will surrender."

I thought I saw the princess glare at him for just a moment before I nodded. "Chief!" "Captain!" Sparky and X-5 cried simultaneously as I stepped forward and let Minimus handcuff me.

"You two can go," Maximus told Sparky and X-5. "Go tell the Galactic Guardians that Atomic Betty has been defeated. Minimus the bracelet." The bracelet was my means of escape for later. But the situation is too dangerous, I'm sure Maximus having that big ego will try to come up with the perfect way to destroy me, so I'll have time to escape, but I can't endanger Nova.

"Minimus don't," Nova speaks and surprisingly, Minimus steps away.

"This may be a good time to tell you Nova, that the gun is real," Maximus hissed. This is beginning to sound as if it was all arranged.

Nova glares at him and in a matter of seconds where the princess once was, now stands a dragon. The dragon broke off the chains easily and took Maximus' gun in her mouth spitting out a chewed ball of metal on the floor as easily as one chews bubble gum. She broke off my handcuffs with her sharp claws and roared causing, anything made of glass to shatter. We all covered our ears and watched Maximus run away with Minimus following him. Nova then turned into a human. "I'm sorry it didn't work out, but you wouldn't be willing to lie for me, would you?"

"What are you talking about? What's really going on?" I demand to know.

Nova sighed, giving up the act. "I don't want to live in Starlight anymore. That place hides a dark secret. I can't tell you what it is and if you discover it, you must understand why it's best that you don't know." Her words remind me of what the girl in the palace said. "I don't want to cause Starlight any problems, but I don't want to be a part of it, so I paid Maximus to help me fake my death. Your purpose here was to witness it and take the message to my parents, but I don't want you to get hurt because of me. People might get hurt because of my parents and Astro, but not because of me, I won't be like them." Needless to say her confession is very confusing and surprising. "We should go, Maximus might come back looking for us soon."

xoxox xox xoxox

Once we're back in the Starcruiser, I try to clear things up. "What is this secret that planet Starlight hides?"

"I told you I don't want to incriminate anyone. They'll come after me if I do. I just want out," Nova speaks sadly.

I don't think I'll get a lot of information from her on the subject. "How did you turn into a dragon?" Sparky asks.

This question appears to be acceptable and Nova has no objection in answering it. "The people of my planet can turn into any species that they've come in contact with. I have a pet dragon so I can turn into one."

"Are you like Chameleon?" Sparky is curious.

"No," Nova explains, "we are of different species. My species' transformation ability is limited and we don't have an original form like his does, if we ever did, no one remembers what it was. Basically, a child will be born of the same species of the mother at the time of birth. When we come in contact with another species, we can turn into it at will. Being around someone of my own race that has the ability to turn into another isn't enough, I would have to come in contact with an original of a particular race to gain the ability to transform into it. Besides, I can't change details like the color of my hair, only my species."

This is very interesting information that no one on planet Starlight cared to mention. Now it starts to make sense why there are so many different species living on Starlight, they're actually the same species in different forms. "What are your other forms?" X-5 asked.

"A dragon, but only that particular type of dragon since it's the only kind I've been around. That was done for protection; those dragons are very strong but not too big. I was born as a human and those are the only two forms I'm supposed to have, but my best friend Comet is a Martian." Now I understand the one I saw before with Maximus was actually Nova. "She's not supposed to be at the palace but she tells everyone she was born that way and has never been outside of Starlight so she can't change. If she's discovered, her life will be in danger."

"We won't tell anyone," I say truthfully, yet I wonder why would she be in danger? Why does she have to pretend to be a native of Starlight? Maybe it's related to this secret that Nova refuses to tell.

"Finally, my other form is a lynx, which I recently acquired, shaking hands is not uncommon when completing a deal in this area of the galaxy. Maximus never suspected what I was really doing." Nova explains "The best you can do is tell them Maximus killed me and keep the secret, he won't mind the accusation, I already paid him to accept it and even if he couldn't take advantage of our deal against you, I'm sure he would still take the evil credit."

I shake my head, "I can't do that." What could make a princess want to run away so badly? "Please tell us what's going on, if you're afraid to be hurt, the Galactic Guardians will protect you."

"I don't want to incriminate my parents. Astro is the worse of all, but I don't want anything to get blamed on my parents. Ever since I was little, they always gave me everything I ever wanted. I had my escape all planned out. I have a mansion and a fortune with another identity some place far away. I got that with their money, I grew up with everything a little girl could want because of them. It's not like they made a big effort to stop me from escaping. Mom is clueless about it and I suspect dad knows and let me do it. An accusation is no way to repay them," Nova insisted.

"You're being selfish," I didn't care to watch my words. "Just because they took good care of you doesn't make it alright to hurt other people."

"I know that," Nova yells angrily. "I won't stand in your way but I won't help you, why can't you understand that I don't want to be involved? This isn't my problem; I didn't choose to be born as the princess of a corrupt planet. I will not get involved. I'll go back to Starlight now but I won't be there for too long." The rest of the trip back to planet Starlight passed in silence.

xoxox xox xoxox

When we arrived on planet Starlight, Nova's father was happy to see her, but her mother only gave her a disappointed look. I think they know she ran away. Their security is just too advanced to get passed it unless one was allowed full access to the system and there are only so many people who can do that in the western region. The east has its own security system. Since that's where the wedding will take place that's where we will head tomorrow.

We are invited to attend the wedding the following day. We accepted so that we can continue the investigations without looking suspicious. I returned to Earth after informing Admiral Degill about the situation on Starlight. It appears no one knows what this dark secret could be. I think Nova is trying to tell us, she's just afraid about what may happen if she does.

xoxox xox xoxox

When I get to Earth I'm drowned in bad news. I go check my emails to try to relax and I find an attachment on an email from Penelope. In the email she goes on and on about how people are taking cameras to school to take pictures of their classmates whom they might not see in a long time after graduation and that she took a video camera along. She brags about her high tech camera for a while, then finally gets to the point.

Penelope caught me on video when I was called for my mission. I download the attached file and view it, it's true, there's the video of my being beamed up to the ship, you can even see a hologram of Admiral Degill in the beginning and then Starcruiser as I'm beamed up. She said that if I didn't stay away from Dylan she would send the video to a show called Mysterious Mysteries that is all about aliens. Just what I needed; blackmail.

Things keep going down hill, as soon as I disconnect from the internet and try to think of a plan to get that video away from Penelope, the phone rings. I answer it and it's Noah, calling to say he can't go to the prom so I should go with Dylan. When I ask him why, he tells me he had an accident and is calling from the hospital. It turns out he was hit by a bus and if I catch that driver... No time to think of torture now, I promised I would go visit and I will keep that promise.

xoxox xox xoxox

I arrived at the hospital quickly. But just as I'm entering, my bracelet starts to beep, not now, I can't be late this time. I sigh and look around for a bathroom or something. I hide in one of the stalls and answer the call saluting.

Admiral Degill appears very worried. "Atomic Betty, we have a problem on Starlight!"

Looks like there's no way I can postpone this,"what happened?"

"It appears that prince Astro has gone crazy, he's threatening to destroy near by planets if princess Nova doesn't return!" Admiral Degill informs.

I gasp, how could this be? My day can't possibly get any worse. "Where is she now?"

"No one knows for certain."

"I'm on my way," I'm beamed up to the Starcruiser. There are days when life just sucks.

xoxox xox xoxox

"Where should we go chief?" Sparky asks.

"We need to find princess Nova, I think she will be able to explain everything." I need to think of a plan. "Head to the west region of planet Starlight, I think I know who might be able to tell us where Nova went."

xoxox xox xoxox

When we arrived at planet Starlight, we quickly headed to the western palace in search of Comet. My plan is to take her with us on the ship for her safety. Being Nova's best friend, she might know where Nova went, what she said earlier sounded as if she also knew of that secret Nova refuses to tell.

"Atomic Betty, what brings you to the west side again?" The king asks as we're running down a palace hall.

"We're here to investigate," I reply firmly, skipping the formalities. "We want to hear the truth about what's going on?"

"I don't know what's going on," The king sounds angry. "I'm not sure why Astro is acting this way but I assure you your presence here is not needed, this is an internal matter and we will not require the presence of the Galactic Guardians any longer. I thank you for bringing Nova back, but it seems that she has disappeared again, so if you want to help, find her and bring her here where she'll be safe," the king left.

"Galactic Guardians," I heard someone calling from behind a large pillar. We heard in that direction and discover it's Comet. "Prince Astro fears princess Nova will reveal too much information about planet Starlight. You must tell him she will not reveal anything. Please don't ask me anything, just say she will keep the secret. Tell him that and this will be over."

"No, we're not going anywhere until we know what's really going on," I insist.

"You know you have to tell us," Sparky added. "If you tell us, we can help."

Comet shook her head. "If I tell you, I will put Nova in danger."

"You've said too much!" A guard jumped out of nowhere and shot lasers at Comet.

I tried to get her out of the way, but I wasn't fast enough. "Comet!"

"Chief, is she?" Sparky was shocked.

"I don't know," I shook her gently, but there was no reaction.

"Her vital signs are gone," X-5 informed us sadly.

The palace guards have circled us by now, pointing various types of deadly laser guns at us. "Don't move!" There's nothing to be done now, we're surrounded and attempting an escape is too dangerous at this point.

xoxox xox xoxox

We're taken to an underground dungeon and locked up in a cell with a force field around it, scheduled to be executed tomorrow, they probably need the time to device a cover up.

"The odds of a successful escape are 574,251 to 1," X-5 examined the force field.

"We're gonna die!" Sparky cried. "Worse, we'll die with empty stomachs!"

"We're not going to die; we'll find a way to get out of here. Don't forget we've been in hard situations before and gotten out of them, this won't be any different." I use the laser in my bracelet and try to get rid of the force field to no effect. "Sparky do you have your pistol?"

Sparky aimed the weapon at the force filed and fired to no effect.

X-5 cautiously approached the force field. "It absorbs energy and keeps anything solid from going to the other side."

We sat there in silence for a few more minutes, trying to think of a plan, then a guard came by. "Know what this is?" He pointed to a high tech gun and grinning evilly. "It can penetrate the force field without harming it, but it will certainly harm you. I guess your final appointment was rescheduled for today, no need to take risks."

So that's it? He's just going to shoot us? This can't be the end, something has to happen. Something unexpected, something, anything... There a blast of light from the corridor and a large ball of electricity hit the guard, knocking him unconscious on the cold metal floor.

"We're saved!" Sparky cheered.

"Who saved us?" We watch as someone caring an electric gun equipped with a little flashlight approaches our dark dungeon cell.

"Boss, are you in there?" It was none other than Minimus PU. He's the last person I expected to come. "Atomic Betty?" His head turns around so his angry face is looking at us. "I guess someone managed to capture you and was about to end your life? Wait till the boss hears about this!" Then his head turned around again, going back to his normal face. "I don't think I'll tell him after all, he might think I saved you on purpose and it was an accident. By the way, you haven't seen his evilness around here, have you?"

"No, but we'll help you find him if you let us out," I'm not actually expecting him to fall for it.

"Okay," Minimus goes over to a control panel. "Which button is it?"

I stood there for a moment, completely surprised by this turn of events and X-5 had to answer for me. "I saw the guard push the third button from the left in the second row from the top."

Minimus pushed the button X-5 told him to and the force field on the cell disappeared. "Let's go before it's too late."

"Wait," ran in front of Minimus. "What's going on?" I'm tired of being kept in the dark about everything.

"The boss is in great danger and I'm here to save him, but I can't find him." Minimus urged.

"Details?" Sparky was getting impatiet.

"Hidden among the treasures princess Nova brought as payment was a microscopic robot that infiltrated the lair's main computer system, infecting it with a virus that temporarily disabled the security system including the robot army. During that time, while we were trying to repair it, Astro's soldiers captured his evilness. I called Nova about it, but she claims she had no idea that one of the security robots was still in the treasures. She thought she removed them all when she stole the treasures from the east palace, because she didn't want to steal from her own kingdom. She said that Astro must have activated the robot and sent it to disable the security system so he could capture the boss, but that it wasn't her fault, so I should keep her out of it," Minimus explained.

As we're about to exit the dungeon, someone comes running from another corridor. "Quit complaining and run!" A girl yells; I've heard her before, Nova?

"Wait up, this is all your fault!" Is that Maximus?

"Boss?" Minimus calls. They turn the corner and I was right, it's Nova and Maximus. "You're safe!"

"Minimus? How did you get here? You came looking for me?" Maximus appears to be surprised to see his sidekick. Maybe he's more surprised about Minimus actually getting this far, then the fact that he tried to find him.

"Of course I did!" Minimus said.

The moment of villain and sidekick friendship doesn't last long as Maximus hit Minimus on the head annoyed. "What took you so long? I could have been killed by now for all you know!"

"Ouch, sorry boss," Minimus normal face apologized, while his angry face quietly complained about ingratitude.

"Okay, so it is kind of my fault that the microscopic robot got into your lair, so I'm rescuing you, but since the Galactic Guardians are here, I'll leave you with them for protection. My record's clear again," Nova began to walk away.

"Wait!" I stop Nova. "What do you mean your record is clear?"

"What I mean is I've never hurt anyone in my life and no one has gotten hurt because of me, so the Galactic Guardians have nothing against me and since I'm not testifying against Starlight, neither does Astro. Everyone's happy so you can let me be."

"You can't run away from your problems," I insist.

"That's not a crime and I'm not evil! Don't you understand? If I help Starlight I would have to hurt people and if I help the Galactic Guardians, my parents would be hurt. I tried to keep a balance, I tried to stay neutral. I don't hurt and I don't help, keep me out of it. I'm sick of being trapped trying to avoid hurting anyone!" Nova's voice echoes all over the dungeon.

"My, my, that's some argument you're having," the new voice belongs to Astro. "It's over Nova, the Galactic Guardians are here and I don't mean just them. You've done it, you've ruined everything for Starlight so you might as well tell them."

I look at Nova, she sighs giving up and reveals the secret. "Starlight isn't a natural planet; it's an artificial planet that costs thousands of millions a day to maintain, even with the income from tourists, it's not enough. To keep a rich lifestyle under such a situation, both Starlight's governments steal, blackmail, trade with the black market and force people into transforming into rare species that are then stuffed and sold. I didn't know until recently."

"Exactly," Astro glared. "This is the best planet ever, the most prestigious one. We can't have our pride and joy without it's fuel and maintenance. Besides, without a planet there is no kingdom, but a certain goody-goody princess wanted to ruin it all. Dear Nova, why couldn't you just ignore it and live your life pretending it isn't true? I would have done all the work for you; you only needed to be my queen in name and nothing more, I wouldn't have forced you into dealing with this, all I asked was for your silence."

"It's wrong, but I don't want to betray those who were kind to me. Even if the gifts I was given were obtained in such a way, it's the thought that counts. Why can't I just be neutral and not just anyone?" Nova holds back tears.

"It's over, we've been discovered and you know what that means," Astro growls.

"You wouldn't dare!" Nova sounded as if she knew what he was talking about. I've had it with everyone else knowing what's going on and not telling.

"It's been done," Astro assured.

"What? What's been done? What?" Sparky starts to panic.

"He's going to self destruct Starlight," Nova stammers.

"That's right and with the force filed around it, you can't get out. Go on; try to leave, I won't stand on your way," Astro stepped aside.

"Let's go," I urged and we ran outside.

xoxox xox xoxox

The planet's surface looks calm, some people are looking at the sky with worry, noticing the force field, but they look too calm to know the planet is about to self destruct. We need to get everyone out of here before the planet blows up. "Nova, how much time do we have?"

"I don't know, it depends on when he activated it, but it must be less than an hour. The self destruct mechanism is in the center of the planet, destroying it means an instant destruction of the planet regardless of how the count down stands and it would be impossible to hack. Astro doesn't care if he lives, threats won't work on him and I'm sure he must have already gotten rid of anyone who could possible stop this. I'm getting off this planet now." Nova pressed a small button on her crescent moon shaped earring on her left ear. "Come to me Shooting Star, beam me up," seconds after the voice command, she was gone, off to her ship, the Shooting Star.

"Minimus were did you park the ship? It better not have been far!" Maximus yelled.

"It's this way your evilness," Minimus ran off with Maximus after him.

My bracelet starts to beep and I immediately answer it. "All Galactic Guardians are to fill their ships with as many civilians as possible and escape immediately. Act with haste but with caution to avoid a massive panic. Most civilians are not aware of the mortal danger." Admiral Degill's one way communication must have been broadcasted to all the Galactic Guardians on the planet and atmosphere near by.

xoxox xox xoxox

We quickly headed to the Starcruiser and started to beam people up, hastily explaining that this is for their safety, not revealing the truth because that would truly cause chaos on the ship. After the Starcruiser was full we tried to escape.

There are many Galactic Guardians ships on the planet's atmosphere unable to leave due to the force field. The fact that the planet is artificial will make the explosion bigger and none of us will survive if we're this close.

Why is the Royal Road glowing? That's it! It's not a road; it's a giant force field generator. "Everyone, we have to get rid of the Royal Road, the ring around the planet!" I broadcast the message to all the other Galactic Guardians ships.

We concentrate our fire on the Royal Road. It must be the right place, because many ships try to stop us now. It's trickier to defend ourselves and fire at the Royal Road all at once, but we mange to take it out and head out of Starlight's atmosphere at full speed.

The explosion happened seconds later with incredible force. The Starcruiser shook and was thrown forward, the engines over heated due to the tremendous heat that the explosion sent all around the galaxy. Then finally the star cruiser drifted in space, full of heartbroken, panicked people.

xoxox xox xoxox

It's been a long day and when I finally arrive home after a ship was send to pick us up, I get a speech because I got back so late without even saying I was staying out. Dad's in another of his business trips and mom doesn't mind as long as I tell her I'll be late, but I didn't this time. I was so tired I went straight to sleep as soon as mother released me.

xoxox xox xoxox

The next day I contacted Sparky for the detailed results of planet Starlight's destruction. Most people didn't make it out on time and a few Galactic Guardians ships were shot down or were not fast enough and got caught in the explosion. We were lucky to get out of there quickly, the Starcruiser is already repaired. I'm sad for those people of Starlight and the Galactic Guardians that couldn't make it out.

I went back to the Galactic Guardians Headquarters and attended a ceremony in honor of the Galactic Guardians that didn't make it out on time.

After the ceremony I was told I had a package at HQ. It had already been scanned for safety. The box contained a glass bottle, though upon closer examination, I realized it was actually crafted from diamond. I read the note attached:

"Greeting Atomic Betty,"

"In the end everyone got hurt instead of no one. I heard some ships were caught by the worse part of the heat wave and people suffered terrible burns. This is a rare medicine that can heal anything, burns, broken bones and any physical wounds. I know how skilled you are and that you probably got out of there on time to escape injury, but here's this gift just in case. If you don't need it, then maybe it will be useful in restoring a friend. Only a spoonful will be enough for a full recovery and it works on most species. I do hope you don't think of me as evil for choosing not to incriminate my parents, I plead to the fifth intergalactic constitution amendment on that. I wish you good fortune."

"Farewell,"

"Nova"

xoxox xox xoxox

I later returned to Earth and went to the hospital to visit Noah, taking a small plastic container with enough healing liquid for one person. This medicine is crafted from precious jewels though a complex process and it's extremely rare and expensive. I donated the rest to the Galactic Guardians.

"Hi, sorry I'm late," I gave him my usual greeting, as I entered his room to find him wrapped in bandages like a mummy. Poor Noah, if I catch that driver... Focus Betty, it's time to heal him, not time to think of torture.

"You're an entire day late," Noah sounds more disappointed than angry.

"I'm sorry, but I brought you something to make you feel better. It's really rare and I know it'll help, drink this," I help him drink the miracle medicine.

"Thanks, I feel better already," Noah sounds sincere.

xoxox xox xoxox

When I got home later, I got a call from the show Mysterious Mysteries, congratulating me on my acting for the video. Looks like Penelope sent it in after all, since I didn't give her a reply fast enough. On the bright side, no one believed it was real. The show called us both to award us a cash price for best futuristic science fiction video. Apparently, they thought it was all done with computer generated special effects and assumed Penelope was joking when she tried to tell them it was real. In the end, the blackmail backfired.

xoxox xox xoxox

The next day, Noah was let out of the hospital. He was completely healed, even if no one could explain why. I'm glad he didn't mention the miracle medicine to the doctors. I heard it tastes sweet, so he must have assumed it was some kind of juice.

Nova is still out there. I heard rumors that she took a large portion of her parents' fortune and is living comfortably in Lynxia with a new name and a new form. Speaking of lynx, I heard Maximus made it out safely too.

I called Dylan late, but I called, and we talked for a while, though I still owe him an answer. It remains unsolved; I still haven't decided who I'm going to prom with.

End of Planet 98

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty. 


	26. Part 26

Atomic Galaxy

Planet 99: Space Cats

"Betty!" Betty's mother called in that particular tone of voice that hinted the topic of conversation would be Sir Purrsefus.

"What is it mom?" Betty was already anticipating what her mother would ask. She thought she would ask her to do something for her so called little brother but she was pleasantly surprised to find out this time she didn't have to get involved.

"I'm going to take Purrsey to a new and exclusive luxury cat spa that recently opened. It's a three hour drive so I'll be gone for a while. Take care of the house for me!" Her mother was ready to leave with Purrsey in her arms. Betty heard of that spa from Penelope who was taking to her friends loudly enough for everyone else to hear, telling them about how her cats went to the spa on the day it opened. "There's food in kitchen in case I don't get back in time for lunch, bye Betty. Say good bye to your little brother!"

"Bye mom, bye Purrsey," Betty spoke her last goodbye to the cat with a hint of sarcasm present enough to satisfy her, yet hidden enough so that her mother didn't catch it. "Great, another Saturday all alone, not that mom did much except talk about Purrsey and attempt to experiment on my hair." Betty sat on the couch and thought about her options. She didn't even want to think about what her mother left for lunch. It had to be either cat food or barely edible old leftovers.

She could try to locate one of her Earth friends so they could go somewhere together, but they all had their plans. It was the consequences of constantly leaving them waiting. They started to assume she wasn't coming and stopped inviting her. She sighed and turned on the TV, changing the channels a few times before giving up and turning it back off again.

She lay on the couch staring at the ceiling for a moment. "I could go up there," she smiled at the thought. Sparky and X-5 were always willing to spend some time with her and she had fun. As if on cue, her bracelet chimed. "Atomic Betty reporting for duty!"

"Atomic Betty, I need to send you on a special mission," Admiral Degill informed. "This is an emergency. Maximus IQ recently stole a very powerful satellite laser weapon capable of destroying planets from a very large distance. That makes it extremely hard to know what planet will be attacked and gives us very little time to stop him or get the population to a safe place if he uses it. The weapon must be recovered and dismantled immediately."

As Admiral Degill explained, rain began to fall outside and two cats entered Betty's house by an open window. There was a male cat that was orange with black stripes and green eyes. The color of his fur had earned him the name 'Tiger'. Tiger was one of Purrsey's friends and the leader of a band of alley cats called the Lunar Felines. The Lunar Felines were very respected among the cats, both alley cats and house cats. He was chasing after a golden yellow female cat with blue eyes named Goldia. 'Goldia wait, you know I'm telling the truth!'

Goldia was a house cat that sometimes ran off to go on a few adventures with the Lunar Felines. That was one of the few alley cat gangs Purrsey associated with, but only because of their power and respect in the feline world. His only real friend from the gang was Tiger. Goldia ignored him and continued walking across the living room. 'Let's see what Purrsey has to say about it.'

'Purrsey's not here, that's why I had to give Princess his message," Tiger tried to explain. Purrsey was supposed to meet Princess, one of Penelope's cats whom he was dating that day. But his mother, who was actually Betty's mother, told him only an hour ago that they were going to the spa. So Purrsey asked his friend Tiger to give Princess a message explaining why he couldn't go visit her that day. Tiger gave Princess the message with all the nice things Purrsey said about her, but when Goldia overheard she thought Tiger was the one saying those things to Princess.

"I'm on my way!" Atomic Betty was beamed her up. The cats walked by at that precise moment and were beamed up with her. In her haste to recover the dangerous weapon Maximus stole, Betty didn't notice the two cats. "Set a course for Maximus' lair we have to recover that weapon!"

"What's the plan, chief?" Sparky piloted the Starcruiser full speed, while occasionally sneezing.

"We'll have to sneak in and take the weapon before he uses it," Betty did not sound as if she was looking forward to doing it.

"You don't mean we have to sneak in by the trash bin, do we?" Sparky had a look of fear in his face.

Atomic Betty nodded, "I'm afraid so."

"But it stinks in there," Sparky complained and sneezed.

"Too bad you can't simply disable your sense of smell," X-5 voiced.

"Very funny Mr. I can turn off my nose, then again you don't even have a nose!" Sparky pointed to the empty space on X-5's face where a nose would be located.

"My robotic sense of smell is very accurate and the sensors do not require a nasal structure," X-5 countered.

xoxox xox xoxox

They arrived at Maximus' lair and snuck in. Everything was going according to plan. "What is this place?" Goldia asked before remembering she wasn't talking to Tiger.

"I don't know, but it has a lot of trash," Tiger had followed Betty, Sparky and X-5 into the trash bin along with Goldia. "We came here in that strange transportation machine. Do you think this is that strange dimension Purrsey said he visited?"

Goldia didn't answer, she simply made her way out of the trash bin ignoring Tiger. "Achu!" Sparky sneezed loudly. "All this trash is giving me allergies!"

"You sneezed on the ship also, maybe you have contracted a space virus," X-5 theorized.

"No, I'm sure it's the smell of evil trash," Sparky insisted.

"I don't like this either, but it's the only way in unnoticed. We can't risk letting Maximus know we're here, he might try to use the weapon right now," Betty cautioned. They made it out of the trash and started searching the lair, staying hidden from the guards.

xoxox xox xoxox

The cats had also made it out of the trash unnoticed and Goldia was still ignoring Tiger. Deep down she knew he was telling the truth about delivering Purrsey's message, but she was unhappy with his alley cat ways. It was as if she was looking for any excuse to find out how much he really appreciated her. Goldia continued walking until she was standing right in front of Maximus. She stopped and stared in disbelief. That must be the big cat Purrsey told them about, so it was true after all.

Being a house cat Goldia was used to being around people so she was more trusting of strangers than an alley cat would be. Tiger didn't have very nice experiences with humans due to his stealing of food. Maximus wasn't a human but he walked and dressed like them even if he looked like a cat, so that was suspicious. "Hi," Goldia meowed.

Maximus looked down at the creature that meowed. It was a yellow pet specimen. "Hello, how did you get in here?" He picked up Goldia and petted her.

"Goldia, get away from him!" Tiger hissed from behind some furniture.

Maximus looked around, almost sensing the presence of someone else in the room, but before he could go check, Minimus came in. "Your evilness, are you going to try out your new weapon now?"

"Not right now," Maximus cuddled his new pet. "Look what I found!"

"Another one?" Minimus was disappointed. "Great, another one of those things to clean after," his angry face complained.

Goldia stuck her tongue out in Tiger's direction, then hugged Maximus and licked his face. "Shut up Minimus look how friendly she is. I'll give her a tour of the lair."

"Your evilness, what about the weapon?" Minimus asked once more.

"Not now!" Maximus yelled hitting Minimus on the head. "We can blow up the planets later they're not going anywhere. I want to play with my new pet and she needs a name."

"How about Cheese, they're both yellow," Minimus suggested.

"Cheese is not a name worthy of a pet worthy of me! Her name is Maxima." At that very moment Tiger jumped on Maximus. Goldia tried to stop him but Tiger was very fast. "Minimus, get it off!" Minimus backed away slowly, but Maximus managed to grab him by the tail and tried to hit Tiger with the sidekick, but missed and ended up banging Minimus against the wall several times. Maximus let out a loud half-hiss half-meow and Tiger retreated. Another meow came out and Maximus quickly dropped Minimus and covered his mouth. "I did not say that," he repeated over and over.

xoxox xox xoxox

Goldia used the distraction to go find Tiger and yell at him. "That's it? All those alley cat fights and that reputation for being unbeatable and you ran away?"

"He sounded like he was going to fight for real and he's so much bigger than me and... and... Alright Goldia, I lost, you can stay with him if you like him. I want you to know that I was telling the truth about Purrsey's message. I want you to be happy Goldia... I love you, good bye," before Goldia could say anything Tiger ran off.

Goldia knew it was useless to go after him, being Tiger the fastest cat in that area and possibly in their entire dimension. "Tiger, you do care..."

"There you are," Maximus found Goldia. "I wonder why that other one attacked me like that?" He asked no one in particular as he petted the yellow cat.

xoxox xox xoxox

Atomic Betty, Sparky and X-5 were still searching for the stolen weapon. As they walked, Sparky tripped on Minimus. "Look chief, it's a Minimus shaped carpet."

"That's the real Minimus," Betty corrected.

Sparky curiously poked him. "I don't think you should do that," X-5 warned.

"Ow," Minimus was half conscious, with his eyes closed. At least they knew he was alive.

"I told you so," X-5 voiced.

"Know it all," Sparky pouted.

"Let's go before he wakes up completely," Betty urged and they resumed their search.

xoxox xox xoxox

It didn't take too long for Maximus to locate Tiger, who had gotten lost in the confusing alien structure of the lair. "Stay here I'll go see if I can make peace with him," Maximus placed Goldia on the floor. "Hello specimen soon to be called Maxitwo," Maximus approached Tiger.

Goldia watched, wondering what will happen next. A robot came by and saw her. "Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" The robot's mechanical voice screamed. The robot tried to hit Goldia with a hammer, but she jumped out of the way and it chased her. Tiger ran pass Maximus and tried to save her.

The robot cornered them but Tiger still tried to protect Goldia. The hammer was about to come down on them and there was noting they could do. "Goodbye Goldia," Tiger tried to cover her from the impact. Both cats closed their eyes but the hammer never came down.

Maximus had deactivated the robot and pushed it away just in time. "Are you two alright? Come here."

"He saved us," Tiger realized. "I guess you'll stay with him..."

"Don't be silly, Tiger. I believe you and besides, he only wanted to keep me as a pet. He's more like the humans than us," Goldia explained. "Let's go say good bye to him before we head back."

Both cats ran to Maximus and he hugged them. "That's better, I knew they had to like me. They'll both be my pets." However, Maximus couldn't get his wish because as soon as he was distracted both cats ran back to the Starcruiser and waited for it to transport them to their dimension.

xoxox xox xoxox

Atomic Betty, Sparky and X-5 recovered the stolen weapon and took it apart according to plan. Everything went smoothly save for a few sneezes by Sparky that he blamed on the scent of evil garbage on his uniform.

The cats jumped in the teleporter as Atomic Betty was beamed back to Earth. The cats jumped out the same open window now that the rain had stopped and the sun was shining.

Betty wondered what Maximus could possibly be doing that was more important to him than testing his new weapon; they didn't see him while they were at the lair. There was that time Sparky tripped over the unconscious Minimus, but obviously the sidekick wasn't able to do anything.

Somehow Betty felt like she was missing half the story thinking of those events. She decided it was okay as long as the mission was completed successfully and went to the kitchen to see what her mother left her for lunch. After throwing away the inedible disaster, she ordered a pizza.

xoxox xox xoxox

Maximus never figured out what happened to his new pets, but he concluded that they left in whatever way they came. "Minimus, Did you find the weapon?"

"No your evilness, I can't find it," Minimus replied. "Maybe if you were more organized things wouldn't get lost!" His angry face added still in disbelief the rather large weapon of mass destruction had been misplaced.

End of Planet 99

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty. 


	27. Part 27

**Atomic Galaxy**

**Planet 100: A Cup of Sugar**

The police officer made his way past the yellow lines that surrounded the front yard of the house. This murder was exactly like the other murders that happened on the same date of each month for the past three years. He had spoken to the neighbors and just like the neighbors of the past victims, they testified that earlier that night they had seen a little girl knock on the door. They didn't know why the little girl was there, but they said she left quickly without taking anything from the house. Some people said the girl was a spirit and because she was denied what she asked for, she came back for revenge. The officer didn't believe such a fictional tale, he only believed in facts.

Stepping into the house, he looked at the bodies on the floor for a brief moment. He couldn't look at them for too long before feeling the need to look away. A young couple was on the floor, their heads at the other side of the living room, as if they had been ripped off with amazing strength. The expression on their faces was of pure terror. The bodies presented no wounds from the shoulders down, but they were covered in sugar and there was a large pool of blood around them.

No matter how many murder cases he investigated, such scenes would always impress him. Even if he didn't believe in ghosts, he wondered if there was a connection between the little girl and the murder cases. He had learned in his investigation that something like this happened every month, but it took a long time to establish similarities because the murders happened all over the universe and didn't follow a pattern in terms of the victims. There had been victims of many races and ages, rich and poor.

xoxox xox xoxox

The next month, far away, Maximus IQ was watching TV in a large living room at his lair. Minimus PU had fallen asleep on the other side of the large couch, but since Maximus didn't need anything at the moment, he didn't wake his sidekick. His channel surfing was interrupted by the sound of the door bell and Maximus wondered who could it be at this hour of the night. Normally, he would send Minimus to get the door, but something unusual was going on. Some people say that many years ago felines had the ability to look into the spirit world. Many say that less evolved felines can still do it. Maximus never believed he had such a power, if there was a spirit world to begin with, but he couldn't deny that there was something going on. He was so curious, he went to answer the door himself.

Upon opening the door, he found a little girl. "Hello Mr. Super Villain. Could I please have a cup of sugar?"

Maximus remained silent for a moment. There was something very strange about that little girl. He was trying to figure out what it was, but couldn't. It was as if she was there, but at the same time wasn't. It was a sensation that was very hard to explain.

"Please?"

He didn't know what was it about that little girl he was sensing, but something told him he better give her that cup of sugar. "Yes "

"Thank you Mr. Super Villain. I guess not all villains would commit a murder over such a simple request." The little girl smiled. "May you be safe of lost spirits who are looking for revenge." Then she vanished without waiting for the sugar.

Maximus never told anyone about the strange event, but knew the remnant of a forgotten instinct had saved him.

End of Planet 100

xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox xox xoxox

**Planet 101: Guardian of the Spirit World**

Betty's mother was all alone with her cat Sir Purrsefus in her house that night. Her husband was on a business trip and would not return for two more days. Her daughter was at a sleepover and wouldn't be back until the next morning. The blond woman sat in her room with only the light of her flashlight. Her cat was scarred and wouldn't let her sleep. "It's alright Purrsey," she whispered as she petted him gently. "You're safe here, mommy's with you." Her words didn't calm the feline. There was something out there, Purrsey knew there was something, but he didn't understand it.

A loud crash of thunder that sounded like it landed right in the backyard made her suddenly hug the cat. She took a deep breath and waited for her heart beats to slow back to normal. A violent storm was taking place outside and she knew the electricity couldn't be repaired in that weather. The wind created strange noises in the darkness of the night. "I'll be right back Purrsey," she would feel better if she checked to make sure all the doors and windows were closed.

Leaving the cat that was like a child to her in her room, she ventured into the rest of the house with only her flashlight. She tried to check everything quickly so she could return to Purrsey. She was going to check a window that faced the backyard when another loud crash of lightning was heard, followed by Purrsey's terrified meows. Assuming that window was closed, she rushed back to her room. She didn't see the creature that jumped inside the house by the open window.

"Purrsey sweetie it's okay, mommy's here." She searched for the cat but couldn't find him. "Purrsey honey, where are you?" She threw the blankets and pillows all over the floor desperately searching for her baby. "Purrsey, this isn't funny!" She looked under the bed and in the closet, but he wasn't there. Maybe he ran past her and she didn't see him.

xoxox xox xoxox

A creature about the same size as Purrsey stood a few feet away from the window it used to enter the house. Purrsey hissed angrily, warning it to turn back.

The creature was covered in blood stained black fur and had glowing red eyes. It shows its long sharp fangs and claws, warning Purrsey to retreat.

"Be gone evil one!" Purrsey hissed. Only another cat would be able to understand him.

"Get out of my way guardian. The human's blood will be my meal this night!"

Cats were once long ago the guardians of the spirit world. Some say that even today when a spirit escapes, cats can sense it and drive it away. If it is a good spirit that has gotten lost, cats can lead it to where it belongs. In times of the past felines had the power to exterminate evil spirits and ghosts, that is why the supernatural still fear them, that one was a traitor. That cat had sided with the undead and betrayed his kind. "You won't go near her!"

A desperate battle began between the two felines. Purrsey was injured but he wouldn't give up, even if there was little he could do against this creature. No matter how much he scratched the undead cat didn't appear to be affected by it.

Hearing the cats fighting, Betty's mother followed the sounds armed with a baseball bat she borrowed from her daughter's room. If some alley cat was picking a fight with her Purrsey, he was in for it now. "Purrsey, come here! I'll handle this!" She tried to hit the creature with the bat, while also holding the flashlight.

The creature moved too fast. With lightning falling near by, light entered by the window and for a brief moment, the woman saw the creature's appearance clearly. "It's a zombie vampire cat!"

The creature leapt, aiming to bite the human's neck. Purrsey jumped at him from the side, biting and scratching until the creature's spine was broken. Even with its spine broken in half and sticking out its back, the creature didn't give up. "You will pay for this guardian of the spirit world!"

"Only if you catch me first, that is if you dare!" This is exactly what he wanted, to anger the creature and lead it away from his human mother. The creature chased Purrsey as he jumped out the window and disappeared into the darkness.

"Purrsey, come back!" It was so dark outside and the wind and rain were so strong. "Purrsey!" She went out to the backyard to see if Purrsey was still there. "Purrsey!" The batteries of her flashlight died out, leaving her in darkness.

xoxox xox xoxox

"No, stop, don't hurt her! Ah!" Paloma screamed as she woke up from her realistic nightmare.

"Paloma?" Betty, who was sleeping over woke up also. "What's wrong?"

"I had a nightmare, but it's not too late, you're awake, it won't sneak up on you now." Paloma had predicted many things that came true.

Betty suspected that there was more to her than a normal human girl. Maybe she wasn't from Earth. "What is it? What's going to happen?"

"Someone betrayed the guardians of the spirit world. They are our protectors of ancient times. But one of them joined the evil spirits. That one should have been sealed away." It was dark but Betty thought she saw Paloma's eyes turn orange for a moment. "They're coming!" Paloma opened the window for Purrsey, then she quickly closed it again, even if she knew it would be useless.

An undead cat scratched at the closed window before his black fur became a ghostly white and he passed to the other side without breaking the window. Purrsey hissed angrily. He was leading that thing to Betty in hopes that she knew what to do. She once took him to that place where that super evolved cat lived. If she knew him, then maybe she knew how to help.

Betty couldn't waste any time. She had to attack with her bracelet's laser. It had no effect, so she tried throwing stars but the creature simply shook them off. "What is that thing?"

"It is a powerful undead creature, a traitor of the guardians of the spirit world, but he should have been sealed away!" To Paloma, this didn't make sense. If only the vision had come to her earlier she would have time to think about it. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, when she opened them again they were bright orange with a black line in the middle. She tried to concentrate even with the fight going on. "The lightning, it was the lightning. I know what to do. Betty hold him off, I'll be back soon!" Paloma jumped out the window.

xoxox xox xoxox

Paloma ran as fast as she could to Betty's house. She thought she saw Betty's mother at the other side of the street, but looked away and tried to hurry. She didn't have time for questions now. She jumped the fence to Betty's backyard and searched for the area where the lightning crashed. She found a hole on the ground and in it there was a magic medallion, broken in half. It must have been buried there for a long time and the lightning was powerful enough to break it, but Purrsey could fix it. He probably didn't know how it worked, but maybe he could help. She ran back to her house, she had a bad feeling about this.

xoxox xox xoxox

Betty had tried everything by the time Paloma came. The only thing left to do was avoid being attacked and hope Paloma had a solution. Finally, the creature was able to tackle Betty to the floor. He was about to bite her when Purrsey pushed it against a wall away from Betty. They didn't get along but he wasn't going to let that thing kill her.

"Purrsey!" Paloma returned and set the two pieces of the medallion on the floor. The symbol of a cat's paw could be seen broken in half.

Paloma picked up Purrsey and kicked the creature away. The creature fell on its feet and jumped at them, but Betty punched it in mid air.

"Here you go Purrsey, just concentrate and your ancient powers should return to you just long enough to make that thing go away," Paloma placed Purrsey's paw on the symbol of the medallion. The medallion began to glow and the two pieces were magically repaired. The creature was trapped once again and by the magic of the spirit world, Purrsey was completely healed. "It's over Maybe you should hang on to this for safe keeping," she handed the medallion to Betty.

The red haired girl looked at it. She would have to make sure the Galactic Guardians kept it in a safe place so that creature wouldn't escape again. "I'll make sure it doesn't break again."

End of Planet 101

Disclaimer, I do not own Atomic Betty.


	28. Part 28

Another revised story... I'm almost done! As usual, I posted the new one in the proper collection, so I removed the old one.

Atomic Galaxy

Planet 102: Your Lucky Color is Red

It's time to decide what color the students will wear during graduation. Such a small detail could keep the Earth safe or get it blown up.

"Blue," Betty declared her color of choice. She had been asked by Noah which color she preferred and that was her choice. A choice that she thought at the time would not change. The high school students were about to graduate and for the events they would wear the classic graduation robes. Those days, only colleges used the classic black and schools almost always used other colors. If the winning color was going to be blue or red, it was yet to be decided.

Noah nodded his agreement. "Yes, I think that's the best choice."

"Right, blue should win." Betty had her own reasons to say that. In a way their costumes looked similar to Maximus IQ's clothes and red would make them too much alike. Little did Betty know that by stating her opinion aloud she had doomed the color blue to lose.

"Red!" Penelope shouted as she awaked by. She had heard Betty say blue. "Red will be the color that wins."

Sarah and Megan looked at each other slightly confused. "Didn't you say you wanted blue to win before?"

"I did not say such a thing!" Penelope insisted.

Betty immediately realized what was going on. Penelope was always trying to do the opposite of what she wanted. But this time she wouldn't get her way. The color would be decided by everyone's votes not just hers.

xoxox xox xoxox

By the next day, word on the hall was that red would win. The possibilities had shifted overnight. It was Penelope's doing, she was using her popularity to get her way. "Did you hear what everyone is saying? They said red would win. Just yesterday it looked like blue was going to win." Noah arrived at their usual lunch table.

Paloma was there too. "I have a feeling this turn of events may be a good thing."

"You think so?" Noah asked.

"Yes... Oh, never mind maybe it's nothing. Wouldn't it be great if Penelope lost?" Paloma continued.

"I hope she loses. Why did it have to be red? They might as well throw in a pair of cat ears while they're at it," Betty grumbled.

Paloma, who understood the joke, laughed, but Noah looked confused. Paloma obviously found it funny, but he could not find the humorous relation between cats and the color red. He couldn't exactly call it a Betty thing if Paloma also understood. Maybe it was just a girl thing. "I've heard Penelope was going to vote blue, and all her fans along with her, but she changed her mind because she heard you wanted to vote blue too," Paloma revealed.

"Yeah, it's true, that's pretty much how it happened," Betty got an idea. "Maybe I can use this against her." A plan was put in motion. Betty made sure to let everyone know how much she loved the idea of the red graduation robes because they matched her hair. This reached Penelope's ears and so another drastic change was made in the color possibilities. The next day the students would vote after school and the results would be counted and reveled the following day's afternoon.

xoxox xox xoxox

Even if the votes were secret, everyone knew what everyone voted for. The answer was just a question away and sometimes people said it without even being asked. Their graduation clothes color was the main topic of discussion everywhere on voting day. Satisfied that it looked like blue would win, Betty, Noah and Paloma walked home laughing, joking and discussing their plans after they finished high school. Little did they know that the Earth was doomed.

First they arrived at Noah's house. Then Betty and Paloma continued walking on their way to their respective houses. Everything was fine until Paloma stopped. Holding her head with her eyes tightly closed. "Paloma!" Betty wondered what could possibly be wrong. Paloma was perfectly fine just a second ago. "We're already in front of my house, come rest inside."

Paloma nodded trying to get the images out of her head. Once inside she sat down on the couch. "That vision..."

"Rest a little, then you can tell me about it. I'll go get you some water." Betty soon returned with a cool glass of water, which Paloma drank.

Taking a deep breath, Paloma reveled her vision to Betty. "I couldn't see it clearly, but I know it's bad. I sense death and destruction upon the Earth. There was a red dot in a blue background. Then there was a voice yelling something about an enemy. After that, came an explosion, then total silence. The Earth had been destroyed, it blew up and we all died."

Betty knew the situation was serious. Paloma's ability to predict the future had improved greatly over the years. Her predictions still needed to be interpreted. "How can we stop this from happening?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I will figure it out." Paloma had to find out what to do. She wouldn't accept that the planet that had become her home was doomed to be destroyed.

Purrsey curiously approached. For some reason he always liked Paloma. He jumped into her lap and meowed. She was worried and so was Betty. Except Purrsey never cared much for his sister, but Paloma was another story. She was different from any human had had ever met, it was a good kind of different.

Paloma petted him. Animals always liked her. It was as if they could sense she was different, but that gave them trust instead of distrust. "Its okay Purrsey, we'll be safe." She concentrated trying to find the answer to their problem or at least a clue. When she closed her eyes she saw the colors in the beginning of her vision. There was a dot of red in a lot of blue. It was as if those colors would decide the fate of the Earth. She had learned that the smallest details were enough to affect the lives of millions of people. If she could only find out how those colors were tied to reality. What did they represent? She suddenly opened her orange eyes as the answer came to her. Her eyes changed back to human looking brown eyes. "The graduation colors... Blue will win."

For a minute Betty wondered how this was related to the possibility of Earth being destroyed. There was the part of Paloma's vision where she saw those colors, but could her school's graduation clothes somehow decide the future of the Earth? "I don't quite understand."

"Me either but many times my visions only tell me what I need to do and not why I need to do it. I think it will all become clear in the end. We need to make red win somehow. If that is what this vision is telling me to do, then I'll know it when we do it." Paloma explained.

This plan would probably include breaking into the school, finding the votes and changing them so that when they were counted the next morning, red would be announced as the wining color that afternoon, but doing all of that was certainly a much better choice than letting the Earth blow up.

xoxox xox xoxox

Betty and Paloma met that night at mid night in front of the school. With a little help from the Starcruiser breaking in without breaking anything was no problem. After being beamed inside, searching for the votes was another story. After checking several offices they finally found them half an hour later. Paloma had tried to use her abilities to find the votes, but instead got the same vision over and over again. She concluded it was happening because the vision was so powerful. To stop an entire planet from being destroyed was a very important thing after all.

Once they had the votes, there came the task of changing them to make sure red won, without it looking suspicious, and putting everything back how it was. With that done, the girls later left the school unnoticed. What was a little lost sleep compared to an entire planet? Besides, it wouldn't be the first time they stay up late saving a planet.

xoxox xox xoxox

The next day came and to everyone's surprise the winning color was revealed to be red. "I feel a lot better now," Paloma announced after hearing the news.

"Then the Earth is out of danger?" Betty asked.

"Yes, I'm sure of it now," Paloma answered.

xoxox xox xoxox

Time passed and graduation day came. As Noah, Betty and Paloma enjoyed the events, on Earth's atmosphere, Maximus's ship approached Canada.

"Putting a tracking devise on the Starcruiser has been my best plan yet," Maximus looked at the radar. "I'm such a genius!"

"If you're such a genius why didn't you do this years ago?" Minimus's angry face asked. Maximus hit him on the head, making the sidekick's head spin around, stopping on his normal face. "You're a genius your evilness!"

"Yes, I know I am. People should worship my greatness." Little did he know, that he was about to get his wish, or so he would think.

xoxox xox xoxox

The graduation events had nearly ended and everyone had received their medals and awards. All except for one student who was in the honor roll and had perfect attendance. Oddly enough he didn't show up for the graduation events and no one knew why. Rumors had their own theories. Some said he was sick, some said he was dead, some said he was kidnapped by aliens and some said he was an alien who had to return to his home planet, but no one knew the truth.

Maximus had decided to take a look around the planet before destroying it. The tracking devise placed on the Starcruiser indicated that the ship had had come to a point near by, stopped briefly then headed back into space returning to the Galactic Guardian headquarters. Maximus assumed that Sparky and X-5 were taking Atomic Betty to her secret home planet before returning to the headquarters.

"It's an invader!" Someone yelled.

Maximus looked in the direction of the voice and saw Duncan. He looked familiar, but it had been such a long time since the day Betty's bracelet was stolen, that Maximus didn't remember where he had seen him before.

"You're not welcome here!" Duncan yelled. "You're the enemy!"

Maximus noticed that everyone there was wearing red, except for the one called an enemy. Their clothes were somehow similar to his, except they all had funny looking hats.

"Did you hear that?" Paloma headed towards the commotion with Betty and Noah. The graduation events were over, but the graduates would stay for a little longer, then return that night for the prom.

The guy wearing the blue graduation robe must be from their rival high school. No wonder Duncan was making such a big deal out of it. Their football teams hated each other. The one in blue, clearly outnumbered, fled the scene.

Betty realized something. "If blue had won for our school then his school would have probably picked red."

"A little red in the middle of a lot of blue," Paloma nodded. But surely that boy couldn't be the one to cause the chain reaction to bring Earth to its destruction. Maybe there was more to it than that.

"I thought the girl with the rabbit ears on her hat was the most original, but that guy takes the cake," Noah pointed.

Betty and Paloma looked to where he was pointing and found none other than Maximus IQ. Sometimes students added little details to their hats like the girl with the rabbit ears. Sometimes they modified the graduation robes like that guy who panted a shark in the back. It would seem that people thought Maximus was only in disguise.

"A red dot," Betty started to say.

"In a sea of blue," Paloma finished.

Had their color been blue, then Maximus would surely stand out. Everyone would probably still assume he was just an original student in disguise, but if their color was blue and red belonged to the rival school, then he wouldn't blend in. Duncan would most likely notice and go looking for trouble because, due to their team's rivalry, he had come to have a strong dislike for anyone from that school. He would anger Maximus, who would end up retreating to his space ship and blowing up the planet in revenge.

A teacher who was carrying the medal and award that belonged to the student that had been absent spotted Maximus. "There you are. We thought you weren't coming." He was in disguise, which was not like him, but maybe since this was his graduation day, he wanted to be original. Everyone else was present so the one in the cat disguise had to be their missing student.

"I was expected?" Maximus was confused. How could those pre-contact ignorant creatures know he was coming? It was odd enough that Betty chose a pre-contact planet as her home, but that a civilization that could hardly be called civilized knew about his existence was also a big surprise.

"Well of course. Here, these are yours and don't forget the hat, didn't you bring it? Good thing I brought some extra hats," the teacher voiced.

Maximus then received a medal with the word 'honor' written on it and an award for perfect attendance. That student was the only student with perfect attendance in the entire school. The word 'perfect' was written on the award. Names were rare or none existent in awards those days. It was a lot easier for the school to order a certain amount of medals for the honor students that were all the same than to have each one inscribed with their names.

After the teacher left, a square rock slowly approached. "Your evilness!" The rock called.

"Minimus?" Maximus looked at the odd rock, which didn't look anything like any real rocks on that planet.

"The tracking devise was destroyed. Its signal was coming from the Galactic Guardians headquarters but now it's gone. They must have discovered it and destroyed it. I just thought I'd let you know. Besides, I was getting bored of waiting for you to come back so I came here to tell you," Minimus rambled.

"Suddenly it all makes perfect sense. Let's return to the ship," Maximus decied and they snuck away, back to the ship.

xoxox xox xoxox

Once out of his square rock disguise on the ship, Minimus took a good look at the silly hat Maximus was wearing. "Nice hat!"

"Shut up Minimus! This is an important cultural item in that planet!" Maximus hit him on the head. He took off the hat and looked at it. It really was strange. It was a red square with little gold decorations that hung to the side.

"Are you going to blow up that planet now your evilness?" Minimus inquired.

"No, it was all a trick. The Galactic Guardians knew about the tracking devise all along. Instead of revealing the location of Atomic Betty's home planet, they led me to the planet of my worshipers. Did you see it? They are obviously my fans. Maybe I'm some kind of legendary superior being in their planet. They all looked so happy that I had finally visited their planet and look what they gave me." Maximus showed off the medal and award. "They think I'm honorable and perfect!"

"They're all crazy," Minimus's angry face muttered. He quickly switched faces and changed the subject. "Then that's not Atomic Betty's secret home planet?"

"No, I'm sure Atomic Betty couldn't stand to live in a planet where everyone admires my greatness so much. This planet will not be destroyed," Maximus concluded.

xoxox xox xoxox

On Earth, "I believe Maximus thinks people in this planet worship him, so I doubt the Earth is in any danger," Paloma realized.

As if on cue, Betty's bracelet chimed and she answered it. "Atomic Betty reporting for duty!" Paloma being a Galactic Guardian herself, already knew about Betty's little secret so there was no need to hide.

"Atomic Betty I have bad news. We discovered a tracking devise on the Starcruiser that might have revealed the location of your home planet to the enemy. Since his usual symbol was on it, we have concluded that the tracking devise belongs to Maximus IQ. It was destroyed, but he might already know the location of your secret home planet." Admiral Degill paused. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"It's all part of the plan," Betty replied. "Don't worry about Maximus discovering my secret. Paloma and I already took care of that."

"Excellent! We can always count on you to be a step ahead of everything Atomic Betty. Atomic Paloma, you have become a great Galactic Guardian as well," Admiral Degill didn't know how they did it, but if the Earth was safe, then everything was fine.

They saluted and ended the communication just in time. "There you are," Noah found them. Betty had been disappearing for years and some time ago, Paloma started disappearing with her. "We're all still going to the prom tonight together, right?"

"Of course," Betty replied. "We deserve a little party, right?"

"Right!" Paloma agreed, they had saved the Earth after all. Even if no one on the planet knew about what they did, knowing that the Earth was safe was enough for them. There they were, laughing together as if they knew something he didn't know. Betty and Paloma, those two girls would always be a mystery to Noah.

End of Planet 102

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty. The title of this story is based on one of Cait Sith's fortunes "your lucky color is blue" in Final Fantasy VII. Minimus's square rock disguise is a reference to Konohamaru from Naruto. The episode where Betty's bracelet is stolen is "Bracelet Yourself". 


	29. Part 29

Atomic Galaxy

Planet 103: Home

This plan was perfect, it just had to work. It was quite simple and rather logical, but it has never been done before. As effective as it might sound, it was also not very elaborate, therefore Maximus IQ, the self proclaimed greatest super villain genius in the universe, thought it wasn't worthy of him. But lately, after Atomic Betty had time and again stopped him from taking over the universe, he had come to appreciate the simplicity of this plan. To place a tracking device on the Starcruiser and see what planet the ship makes a stop at after a mission.

Placing the tracking devise was no problem. Betty and her crew were too distracted stopping Maximus from placing bomb in a random defenseless planet. All they had to do was take away the control that Maximus was going to use to detonate the bomb and he gave up and ran away. Experts in explosives arrived at the scene to assist the Galactic Guardians and assured them they could handle things from there.

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Today Betty was in a school fieldtrip. They were visiting an old town for historical purposes and there was also a museum there. It was a little far from Moose Jaw Height, but the trip was fun so far. The students were given some time to look around as long as they didn't go too far and stayed in groups. As she walked around along with Noah, Betty spotted an old mansion in the distance and in a clearing next to it she saw Maximus' space ship. Betty stared at it with her eyes open wide, unable to move as a million thoughts raced in her head. "What are you looking at?" Noah's voice brought her back to reality.

Betty quickly made up an excuse. "Look, a gift shop!"

"That's a grocery store," Noah wondered why Betty had started acting so strange all of a sodden after staring at the space ship next the old mansion. Of course he never thought the ship was real, it was probably there for little kids to play in.

"Well it's just as fun, let's go inside!" Betty practically dragged him by the arm into the grocery store.

"Betty, is something wrong?" Noah was a little worried by his best friend's strange behavior.

"Nothing," Betty searched for a way out of there without Noah seeing her. She spotted a mountain of apples neatly piled up like a pyramid. "I want an apple but I'm afraid I'll knock over the pile, could you get one for me, please?" She gave him her sweetest smile, which he couldn't resist.

"Sure, I'll get it." It was true that her sense of balance was better than his and he knew it, but he just couldn't say no. Feeling the guilt already building up, Betty whispered an inaudible apology and pushed the mountain of apples from the other side, then ran away before Noah saw her. The one in charge of the grocery store came running and started yelling at the boy who caused the mess. Noah believed it really was his fault and offered to pick them up. He started making a pile of apples again, only to have them fall every now and then and he had to start over.

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Betty ran towards Maximus' ship. She activated her bracelet to change into her Galactic Guardian uniform just in case it was a coincidence he was here. Just in case this was just another random planet he was attacking. If that was so, then she didn't want to give him any hints by wearing anything different on this planet. There didn't appear to be anyone on the ship so she decided to look around the surrounding area. She entered the old mansion to find a mummy standing behind a counter. From the inside, the mansion looked like an inn. Sure she would receive strange stares if anyone saw her dressed like that, but she would rather have people staring and pointing than the Earth blowing up. Other than the mummy, this place looked pretty normal.

"I told you I'm not going to help," that voice was Maximus, but where was he? Suddenly the door of a large grandfather clock was opened and Maximus came out of a secret passage.

"Wait, the future of this planet depends on you!" Said a man dressed with a white lab coat, black boots, black gloves and goggles on his head. His black and blond hair was spiky and messy. It looked as if lightning hit his head. It was the classic look of a mad scientist.

"Atomic Betty!" Maximus saw her.

"Maximus IQ, you are under arrest!" Betty tried to make it look as if the only reason she was on that planet was to arrest him and not because she lived there.

"Atomic Betty, Maximus IQ, nice to meet you I'm Dr. Cientifico. As I was telling this very interesting feline specimen, I am in need of assistance saving our beloved planet Earth." He sounded like a random crazy guy, the Earth wasn't in any danger other than Maximus and he couldn't be referring to him if he was asking for his help.

"Save the Earth from what?" Betty asked, just to make sure. There was a small probability there might actually be another danger besides Maximus right now.

"You see I have created some planet take over robots and your feline friend over there let them loose when he broke into my lab asking if I knew anything about Atomic Betty. Dear girl, you need to keep a better eye on your pet, the poor cat must have been lost and scared searching for his owner." Dr. Cientifico continued ranting, ignoring Maximus' deadly glare.

"I'm not a specimen, I'm not Atomic Betty's friend and I am definitely not her pet! I am Maximus IQ, the most evil super villain genius in the universe!"

"Well that's really nice and all, but I'm afraid that if you compare the planet take over potential of the planet take over robots and a mutant cat, the robots would take over the planet faster," Dr. Cientifico explained.

Maximus shook his head, wondering if all creatures from pre-contact planets were like this, insane. "I don't care about taking over this planet. It can blow up for all I care, in fact I'll blow it up as soon as I'm off it." He wasn't really going to blow it up, he kind of liked this planet except for the many insane inhabitants, but he had to sound evil. He tried to reason with the scientist; that is scare him, one last time before turning his attention to Atomic Betty. "Clearly this isn't your home planet, you might have tricked me into coming here so that I would fall into your trap and you could arrest me, but it will not work!"

Betty was relived that he didn't know that Earth was in fact her home planet. She quickly played along. "Even if you discovered my plans I'll still arrest you!"

"Aw, a girl and her cat how sweet! But in case you haven't noticed, the future of this planet is in danger! Now miss Atomic Betty since your pet started this mess, I believe it is your responsibility to fix it and you should bring him along to make sure everything's alright. I don't want him accidentally activating the doom's day devise," Dr. Cientifico rambled.

Maximus ignored him, but Betty had a question. "If you really have planet take over robots and a doom's day devise, why would you build them if you don't want to use them?"

"I'm a mad scientist, inventing such things is what I do, but that doesn't mean I have to go all evil and use them. Now shall we save the Earth?" Dr. Cientifico took a small controller with many buttons from his coat pocket and pressed a few buttons. From a door behind the counter where the mummy was, came two large robots. "R51Y and R52Y, take our guests to the lab." The scientist entered the grandfather clock, followed by the two robots; each of them picked up Betty and Maximus and carried them to the lab. "Now listen carefully," Dr. Cientifico continued while his roots pushed Betty and Maximus into a time machine. For a random mad scientist he made pretty strong robots. "The first prototype of my time machine was a little slow. It took the same amount of time to travel to the past as the amount of time back you wanted to travel and it only worked backwards. For example if it is 2:00pm and I wish to time travel to 1:00pm it would take an hour to get to the past, so by the time I get there, it would already be 2:00pm in the past; but I have modified my time machine to make it faster! It will take only a few seconds to travel to one hour in the past, once there, you must tell my past self to lock the door so random cats can't get in, that will undo the danger that was set loose today. When your mission is accomplished, you must return here and never speak of this to anyone again. Bye, bye!" Before Betty and Maximus could protest, there a bright light as the mad scientist activated the so called time machine.

Betty looked out a window of the fish shaped container that Dr. Cientifico called a time machine. It looked more like a strange old submarine with large glass windows where the fish's eyes would be. There was nothing out there, nothing but many strange colors light and randomness. The colors changed, mixing with each other, light, shadows, nothing could be identified. A few minutes passed, instead of a few seconds.

Maximus was also looking outside by the other window and saw the same thing. The fish shaped time machine shook around until the mouth opened and they were able to exit, but they were no longer in the lab. Instead they were in a strange planet. "What just happened?" Maximus was confused. He wished he had brought Minimus along to hit and blame for anything and everything, but his little sidekick was unconscious at the lair. 'I knew it was a bad idea to hit him with that hammer,' Maximus thought. 'Minimus better be awake by the time I get back or else.'

"I'm not sure," Betty admitted. That old thing couldn't have been a working time machine. Maybe it was some kind of strange space ship.

"Hello? Are you two still alive?" They heard a voice from inside the fish ship. They quickly rushed inside and saw Dr. Cientifico on the screen. "Sorry, but it appears that there was a minor short circuit that sent you two a lot further into the past then I expected. See that little thing next to the control panel, the little metal box. Pick it up and take it with you, it will display a hologram so I can call you when I repair things over here. You see the, vessel you traveled in is controlled remotely from here. Go on and look around now, but be careful not to mess up history or anything." The transmission was ended.

"I don't believe we actually time traveled," Maximus headed outside again.

"Neither do I," Atomic Betty followed. She would have to investigate about that mad scientist later. It appears that they were brought to another planet and even if this wasn't time travel, planetary travel was something not common on Earth. It was something that should be brought to the attention of the Galactic Guardians, just in case. Betty activated her bracelet to call the Starcruiser, but it didn't work. Great, trapped in strange planet with Maximus, no way of communication other than with a mad scientist, while that same a mad scientist is on the loose on Earth and Noah's probably stuck under a pile of apples.

Maximus had gone off to look around to try to determine what planet he was on and find a way of communication so someone could come pick him up. "Welcome visitors," a red haired woman identical to Betty's mother except for the hair color came to greet them. "We don't get many visitors from other planets here, who might you be?"

"I am Maximus IQ, the greatest super villain genius in the universe!" Maximus expected the woman to be scared or at least recognize him.

"No you're not," the woman sounded sure of what she was saying. "I would know Maximus if I saw him, he's pretty famous. I know you can't be him because he never goes anywhere without his sidekick Minimus and this young lady doesn't look like Minimus to me. Are you a fan of Maximus? That would explain why you kind of look like him."

"I am Maximus!"

"If you wish to be called that then Maximus it shall be and who do we have here?"

Betty was trying to get over her surprise to find someone that looked so much like her mother. "I'm Atomic Betty."

"My name is Okasan, nice to meet you both."

Maximus had noticed Betty was a little surprised by that woman and they looked so much alike. Could they be related? "What planet is this?"

"This is planet Palma," Okasan replied.

"Palma?" Maximus and Betty were taken by surprise.

"Yes, Palma, in the Algo solar system," Okasan explained. "Are you two lost? I know, why don't you stay and have lunch with me and my daughter. It will be nice to have some company over and my daughter will be happy to meet Galactic Guardians. Her name is Betty too and she looks a lot like you." Okasan started walking towards the house, indicating for Betty and Maximus to follow. Both of them very confused, followed her. How could this be planet Palma if they knew Palma was destroyed a long time ago? As they entered the house, they saw a little girl. "This is my daughter Betty. Betty they are Atomic Betty and Maximus. Why don't you go show our guests your space ship collection while I serve lunch?"

"Okay, mom," the little girl looked so much like Atomic Betty it was almost scary. "This way," she led them to another room where there were many toy space ships. She explained what each of them was called. "This is my favorite," she picked up a toy ship. "It's the latest in technology," both Atomic Betty and Maximus recognized that ship model and it wasn't the latest.

A hologram suddenly popped up from the small metallic box Betty was holding. "Good news, I've fixed everything here and I'll bring you back. After that, we can refuel and send you to the past that I should have sent you to. So jump on the time machine and get over here," the hologram disappeared as soon as Dr. Cientifico's message was over.

The little girl looked at the metal box curiously. "Do you have to go now?"

"Yes, we better go," Atomic Betty voiced. "Sorry we couldn't stay for lunch."

"It's okay, it's nice that you visited just for a little while. My mommy and I are alone here because daddy is in a business trip, but he will come back the day after tomorrow but I won't see him for another week. Tomorrow I get to visit the Galactic Guardians Headquarters and stay there in a training program for a week. I'm going to be a Galactic Guardian someday!" The little girl was clearly looking forward to it.

Before Maximus could say anything to criticize the Galactic Guardians, Betty spoke first. "Sounds great, have fun at headquarters. I'm sure you'll be a great Galactic Guardian someday. We have to go now."

Suddenly Maximus looked as if he just realized something. He silently followed Betty back to the fish shaped ship, lost in thought.

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The journey back to the lab was the same as when they got there and soon they had returned to Earth. "So good to have you back alive!" Dr. Cientifico greeted. "Guess what? I totally forgot I had a remote control that stops the robots from taking over the Earth. They returned to the lab as programmed and are now deactivated. He pointed to several small robots in a corner of the lab. "Yes, I know they look like toys, but they're dangerous. Well I guess I won't be needing your help after all, you can go now." Once again the robots R51Y and R52Y picked them up and placed them outside, then closed the door to the odd mansion.

"I know what's going on," Maximus announced and for a second Betty feared that her home planet was discovered. "We did time travel we were taken to planet Palma in the past before it was destroyed. Okasan looks like you because she's your mother and that little girl she must have been you. Yes, it all makes sense. You were spending your week with the Galactic Guardians when planet Palma was destroyed and your parents were still on the planet. The Galactic Guardians adopted you and you became Atomic Betty. I have it all figured out, I'm such a genius!" Maximus laughed victoriously.

"I guess you know the truth now," Betty sounded sad, after all her planet and family were destroyed, and she intended to take advantage of having that excuse to keep the Earth safe.

"I guess I won't be able to destroy your home planet after all because you don't have one! Too bad I wasn't the one who blew it up." The planet depended on a climate control to be inhabitable and it was the lack of maintenance that cause a short circuit so big it cause a chain reaction that destroyed the planet without a warning. "I almost feel sorry for you, almost." Maximus walked off to his ship and left.

"Just in case you're wondering," Dr. Cientifico came out of the mansion. "That fish shaped time machine was actually a suspended animation device and everything you saw was a dream." He reached into his coat pocket and took out a deactivated tracking chip. "Gotta be careful with these little things, but I don't think Maximus will be bothering to stalk you anymore."

Atomic Betty came to a realization. "You were with the Galactic Guardians all along!"

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With the Earth safe, Betty headed off to the grocery store where she left Noah, after she used her bracelet to change into her normal clothes.

"Hurry up kid before, I call your teacher and get you suspended." The store owner complained, while Noah tried his best to build the apple pyramid as it was before, but he kept knocking them over.

Betty snuck into the store and stood behind the pile. The next time Noah knocked them over, she pretended to fall. "Ow! My ankle!"

"Where did you come from?" The store owner looked at Betty. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

"Oh my ankle hurts so much. Maybe Noah could help," Betty faked pain.

Noah immediately forgot about how angry he was because she disappeared. He thought it was entirely his fault that the apple pyramid came down in the first place, but she could have stayed to help, she was the one who wanted the apple after all. He quickly took her hand and helped her get up. The store owner looked worried. "Why don't you kids run along and don't worry about the apples."

"Afraid to be sued?" Noah had a hard time because of the store owner yelling at him every time the pile of apples came down when he was almost done. The owner laughed nervously and held the door open for them.

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When they were far enough from the store, Betty started walking normally again. "You were faking it," Noah concluded.

"It was the only way to get you out of there or the bus will leave without us," Betty explained. "Sorry I ran off."

"It's okay; at least you came back for me."

End of Planet 103

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty. The scene in the inn mansion and the grandfather clock is from Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle. The robot names are from Chrono Trigger based on R66Y's (Robo) name. Planet Palma is from the original Phantasy Star game series. Why does Betty's fake mom have red hair? Because they didn't want to make her look exactly like the real one, they also gave her a different name for security and they wanted to make Betty's secret story easy to guess for Maximus. Okasan means mother in Japanese and Cientifico means scientist in Spanish.


	30. Part 30

Atomic Galaxy

**Planet 104: Specimen**

Atomic Betty had to step back and admire the pure irony that was taking place right in front of her. A cat trying to escape a fish's deadly grip on his throat was something that completely contradicted what one would expect to see.

Then again, the possibilities of such a scene occurring are much more likely when the cat isn't Purrsey and the fish isn't Betty's gold fish from Earth. In fact, this scene reminded her more of herself and Sir Purrsefus rather than Sir Purrsefus and her fish.

She remembered that time when Purrsey had her gold fish in his mouth and wouldn't let him go, so she threatened to get him wet if he didn't. Except in this case Maximus didn't eat Degill and Pontifadora is threatening to decapitate him with her bare hands, rather than simply get him wet.

The blue color that was appearing in the oxygen-less feline's face indicated that it was time to stop admiring this work of art as far as irony goes and do something about it. "Pontifadora, let him breath a little." The request was simple, yet the fish woman was not provided with a good enough reason to accept it. "If you kill him, he can't tell you where Admiral Degill is." This different way to word the same request worked well enough.

Letting the cat fall in a corner of his room, Pontifadora repeated her question. "Where is my Gilly?"

Maximus tried to get as much oxygen as he could into his lungs after Pontifadora nearly chocked him to dead. The blue color was starting to slowly fade away from his face and his breaths, still heavy, became more even. Finally, he looked like he had captured enough air within himself to speak. He opened his mouth to say something. Pontifadora listened anxiously for him to reveal the location of her beloved Gilly, but his words were not to indicate a place but to call for help, "Guards!"

Pontifadora pushed him against the wall again, this time holding onto him firmly by the shoulders. "They can't hear you."

Maximus stared at her wide eyed for a moment, coming to a conclusion as to why the guards wouldn't be able to hear him. "You killed them. You killed them all. Even Minimus?"

"Yes..."

"Oh for crying out loud," Atomic Betty stepped forward, losing the last of her patience. "Maximus, your guards and Minimus are not dead, they are simply knocked out but alive. Now will you just tell us what you did with Admiral Degill so we can be on our way?" Atomic Betty didn't even have time to call her crew. Pontifadora had arrived at her house demanding to know where Degill was and when Betty said she had no idea what she was talking about, Pontifadora had asked her to join the search and given her little choices.

Luckily, Betty parents were away at the moment and didn't see the alien. The situation was that Degill was supposed to meet Pontifadora for a date but he never showed up. If this was his way of breaking up with her she would kill him for it and if not then she would kill the one who made him miss the date. So that brings us to their current position in Maximus' lair. Pontifadora had left in hurry and refused to get more people then necessary involved in this, even if Atomic Betty had told her time and again that if Admiral Degill was missing, then it should be reported to the Galactic Guardians, but she wouldn't have it, she wanted to find him herself.

After following a few clues, in other words rumors and gossip, they found out that Admiral Degill's ship was last seen being chased by Maximus' ship, which is why Pontifadora had decided to interrogate him, but instead ended up choking him when he refused to answer her question.

"What's a Gilly?" Maximus asked, causing Pontifadora and Betty to give him blank stares. How an intergalactic criminal managed to sound so childish sometimes was one of the mysteries of the universe. Before the fish woman had gotten a hold of his neck, he was refusing to reveal the location of this 'Gilly,' but now it turns out he was being stubborn about it without even understanding the question.

"Admiral Degill," Atomic Betty clarified. "Tell us where Admiral Degill is."

"I don't know," Maximus didn't give it much thought, which was a detail that Pontifadora noticed and she didn't like it.

"You will remember or else!" Pontifadora aimed a laser gun at Maximus' head.

It had gone a little too far and if this was going to end without someone dieing, most likely Maximus, then Betty had to do something about it. "Pontifadora calm down, why don't you let me interrogate him."

Pontifadora stepped aside, but still kept her aim on Maximus from a few feet away, "fine."

"Maximus, try to remember. When was the last time you saw Admiral Degill?" Betty took the classic, I'm not mad at you, tone that one would take with a child when trying to get him to confess having done what he was told not to do.

"It was on a planet called Earth," Maximus revealed.

"Good, now can you tell me in what part of planet Earth?" Betty tried her best to sound indifferent to the planet's name so that he wouldn't hint that she lived there.

"I don't know, I'm not too familiar with planet Earth, it doesn't even have contact with other planets. The inhabitants of that planet don't know of life outside of their own little world," Maximus was starting to calm down a little even, if he was still in a corner of his room with no army or sidekick to defend him.

"In that case, you're coming with us until we find Gilly," Pontifadora was impatient.

"Alright I confess, I shot down Degill's ship on Earth but he survived the crash, I followed his ship and saw him get out. I was going to take him hostage so Atomic Betty had to surrender, but then a human picked him up and ran off with him," Maximus finally cracked and told them everything.

"You're coming with us anyway, I haven't decided if I'm letting you live," Pontifadora voiced.

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When they arrived on Earth they circled the planet until Maximus was able to identify the shapes of the land and remembered more or less where Admiral Degill's ship had crashed. The ship moved lower and flew over Canada with a special holographic cover that made it practically invisible by reflecting the sky. "There!" Maximus pointed at a building that appeared to be a laboratory.

Given the fact the technology in space was so much more advanced than on Earth, getting pass the security system was no problem. The laboratory appeared to be empty until they heard some one coming and quickly hid under a large desk to watch and see what clues they could get. "That was a very rare specimen you found," a man said.

"Yes, it was and if messing around with that strange craft it came in was fun, just wait till we get to experiment with the specimen!" a woman agreed.

"Could the specimen they're talking about be Gilly?" Pontifadora asked.

"Probably, but we can't act without a plan. We should," Pontifadora jumped out from under the desk before Betty could finish.

"Give me my Gilly!" Pontifadora aimed a gun at the two scientists who stared at her in surprise.

"Look Ichigo, it's a mermaid! A real fish woman, not like those silly half-fish drawings in kid's stories. This is a real one!" Guineo, the man in the lab coat, pointed at Pontifadora.

"Amazing, two specimens in one day!" Ichigo, the scientist woman, was as happy about it as her partner. "What do you suppose that futuristic looking device she's holding is?"

"It's a gun you idiots!" Pontifadora fired a warning shot to prove her point. "Where's my Gilly?" She then realized they wouldn't understand. "Where's the gold fish specimen?"

"It's in the other room," Ichigo replied. "Why don't I go get it for you and my partner here will give you a tour of the lab."

"I'm not stupid," Pontifadora growled. "Move an inch and you die. Atomic Betty, come here and keep an eye on them." No sense in hiding after this.

"Who are you and who is that mermaid creature? Did you create her in your lab?" Guineo asked.

"Don't ask questions, you'll forget the answers anyway," Atomic Betty replied.

By now Maximus had come out from under the desk and Guineo and Ichigo were staring at him. "What? Yes, I know, I'm perfect and unique."

Betty rolled her eyes. "There are plenty of people of your species Maximus, but you do have a point, you are one of the kind, I've never met anyone as annoying as you."

"I'll ignore the part about being annoying for now. There might be others of my species, but I'm better looking and smarter and, and I'm special," Maximus pouted.

Soon Pontifadora returned cuddling Degill in her arms. "It's okay now Gilly, don't you worry, I'll make sure no one hurts you," Maximus started laughing, seeing the great Admiral Degill in such a situation. "Silence!" Then he fell silent immediately.

Admiral Degill cleared his throat until Pontifadora got the message and placed him on the floor. "Well done Atomic Betty, thank you for assisting Pontifadora in my rescue. Let's not forget that certain memories need to be erased before we leave." Degill looked at Ichigo and Guineo. "As for you Maximus, why are you here?"

"No reason, just passing by." Maximus didn't feel like saying he was dragged there against his will.

Atomic Betty called Sparky and X-5 on her bracelet so they could come pick them up and bring the equipment to make sure Ichigo and Guineo didn't remember more than they should.

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"Aw, I missed all the action!" Sparky complained.

"Sorry Sparky, Pontifadora was in too much of a hurry to allow me to call you," Betty replied.

"Oh, well, there will be other missions," Sparky pouted. "I guess we should take you back to Earth now, right chief?"

"Let's go somewhere fun," Betty could really use that.

"Right away, chief!" Sparky set a course on the Starcruiser.

"Let me guess, we'll spend the rest of the day playing video games," X-5 concluded.

"You would have more fun if you didn't cheat," Sparky argued.

"I don't cheat, I merely adjust my senses to match the game so that I will press the correct buttons at the correct time and order," X-5 clarified.

"Well that's cheating!" Sparky insisted.

No matter how strange Betty's day had been, life in space was always fun. "Let's just go play!"

End of Planet 104

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**Planet 105: Pac-Robo-Betty**

Noah smiled as Betty arrived. It had been several months after his birthday and Betty had spent little to not time with him. She was his best friend, but sometimes he wondered if she thought of him as her best friend as well.

The first thing Noah noticed as Betty walked was the way she walked. Her steps were a little unnatural, almost mechanical, like a robot that needed some oil. A few clicks were heard as she stopped in front of him and her eyes focused on him like a camera recording his every move. But that was silly really, this was Betty an average human girl with a bit of a disappearance problem, but a human none the less.

"Greetings Noah," she spoke in a voice reassembling Betty's but far more mechanical and monotonous. It was as if the phrase had been the product of joining two recordings, each one containing each word. The 'greetings' voice was played first then there was a short barely noticeable pause, followed by a name, spoken in a slightly different tone, as if the phrase wasn't a continuous voice but two fragments of the same voice. Not once did she blink as she continued to stare at him with her green eyes open wide, waiting for his answer.

Noah felt as if he was being watched by someone other than Betty. He felt as if everything from his nervous shifting, to the rapid rate of his heartbeats was being recorded. Sure Betty was looking right at him, but surely she couldn't perceive him in that much detail. Then why did he feel like she could? He had never felt this uneasy around her before. Her gaze was so cold and distant, as if she was there but at the same time she wasn't. It was like she was staring right through him.

"Hi Betty," Noah finally managed to push the words out of his mouth. He didn't want to look like an idiot, but he couldn't help it but to feel strange in an unpleasant way.

"Our schedule indicates," Betty's voice, or rather a voice similar to hers but not quite exactly like hers, was heard speaking sweetly. "Go to the arcade," the next phrase was spoken in a sour tone, separating the phrase in three segments 'go to', 'the' and 'arcade'. The word 'the' was hastily added before 'arcade' as if some computer program watching over her verbal grammar had suddenly determined it was necessary. "The next task is," she paused after that. Her voice sounded quite bored. The next statement came out full of anger. "Go to movies, beep the movies." Apparently whatever corrected the grammar of her spoken words didn't process the sentence fast enough that time.

Noah nodded slowly. He was feeling quite tempted to run away. He didn't know why but Betty suddenly gave him a very bad feeling, unlike the pleasant feeling he usually got from her. He shook his head and told himself he was hallucinating. This was Betty for crying out loud, he had known her since they were in elementary school. "Right..." He desperately wanted to start a conversation but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

They walked quietly until they reached the arcade. Robo-Betty continued to follow Noah without saying a single word, which he found very strange. Maybe she just didn't want to be there. That would explain way she was always disappearing. "Betty, if you didn't want to come with me, you could have said something."

"Request accepted, something," Robo-Betty mistakenly assumed he was asking her to say 'something'. A few noises that resembled R2-D2 from Star Wars were heard as her processor reanalyzed his words. "Processing answer," there was a pause and her monotonous voice drastically changed to sweet. "I want to be here." After another pause his name was added at the end in a tone full of rage, "Noah."

Noah couldn't help it but to take a step back. Betty's robotic replica tilted her head down with an odd noise like metal clashing against metal and her eyes focused on the floor as if measuring the distance between them. She then took a step forward of the exact same length as the step Noah had taken backwards.

Trying to keep his cool and ignore the feeling of impending doom that wouldn't stop looming over him, Noah looked towards one of the video game arcade machines. "Why don't you try this one? I got plenty of tokens." He inserted a token on the machine, activating the game.

"Analyzing request, request accepted, please input the secondary information," Robo-Betty spoke with her monotonous and emotionless robotic voice. X-5 definitely sounded a million times better than that prototype, regardless of the modifications that had been made.

"Um... do your best and win?" Noah was unsure. She was talking in the strangest way. He wondered if this was all part of a joke he missed or if maybe he was the joke.

"Mission accepted," Betty placed her hands on the controls with more machine sounds. She started playing the game. The pupils of her eyes occasionally grew bigger and smaller as if going in and out of focus. Her skills in the game Pac-Man were amazing, too precise to be human. A crowd of people gathered around her, watching as she cleared level after level.

Noah could have sworn he saw a red glow in her eyes as if she was looking into the codes that composed the game and quickly predicting the ghosts' next move and coming up with a perfect counter move. Not once did those ghosts come near Pac-Man.

Everyone was amazed, even for the most experienced players it was a race for survival full of close calls, but to her, it was so easy the ghosts might as well not be there. She was making it look like the maze was a simple as a straight line of power pills. The crowd continued to gather, becoming bigger level after level. The speed of the game increased, but Robo-Betty appeared to be unaffected by it.

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Unknown to them, far away, someone else was playing a similar video game. A yellow circle with a pair of yellow triangles for ears, dotted eyes and an 's' shaped line for a tail, dashed across a tri-dimensional maze, projected by a hologram in the room. Ghosts in every color of the rainbow, save for yellow so as to not cause confusion, gave chase to the yellow protagonist of the game.

The ghosts looked like a sheet thrown over a floating circle. Their dotted eyes were drawn angry by the lines above them tilted towards the middle. They also had two little triangles atop their heads as ears and an 's' shaped line sticking out of the bottom of the cloud like shape at the end of the sheets.

The yellow circular creature opened and closed its mouth as it rapidly floated around the maze, unable to fly but a few inches from the maze's floor, certainly not enough to jump over its tall confining walls.

Above that hologram there was a 2D map of the maze, showing the position of the player's character and the ghostly enemies. It was easier to follow the map which reassembled Earth's style of Pac-Man than to attempt to follow the 3D maze not knowing when the yellow ball of hunger would turn a corned and come face to face with a ghost.

In a desperate dash, the yellow creature ate the last few cookies in that particular corridor of the large maze. The cookies were also circular with two triangles outlining the shape of the protagonist minus the tail. They had a pair of chocolate chips for eyes. "Almost there," Maximus pushed the joystick forward to its limits.

"Watch out your evilness!" Minimus called out. He had spotted a blue ghost heading right for the yellow cat like ball Maximus was controlling.

"There's a ball of yarn up ahead, I can make it!" Maximus pushed the joy stick forward even harder. The stick was already at its limits and it would soon break if he kept forcing it like that.

"You're going to lose!" Minimus's angry face sounded as if he hoped Maximus lost. Then again, he would probably get blamed for it and pay the consequences.

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Even further away, the real Atomic Betty was in a similar jam. "This guiding system should lead us out of the castle maze before it collapses. There is a fifty two point three percent chance that we'll make it out alive," X-5 informed.

"Only fifty two point three, that's it? We're not going to make it out alive! I wish I had eaten more while I still had the chance!" Sparky cried.

"Calm down Sparky, we'll make it out of here. X-5, activate the guiding system of the castle maze," Atomic Betty ordered.

By connecting himself to the main computer system of the maze castle, X-5 activated a holographic system that showed the way to exit. The white holographic dots were bright against the dull gray background of the walls floors and ceiling. The castle was like a combination between medieval and futuristic, having the gray brick alignment of a medieval castle, but the bricks were made of metal instead of stone. Their polished shiny surface gave the castle a futuristic look. "We need to follow the dots."

"Just like Pac-Man," Atomic Betty commented. The big exception was that Pac-Man never really found a way out of the mazes, he only ate all of the pills and ended up in another maze in an endless loop, or so she thought. The theory at the arcade was that the arcade version of the Pac-Man game was truly endless since no one had been able to last long enough to see it end after it got really fast, no one until that day.

Sparky took Betty's Pac-Man comment a little too literally and tried to eat the holographic dots. "At least in Pac-Man there are little white candies and in Pac-Cat there are cookies."

A screen on the wall came on by itself showing a close up of Dr. Cerebral. "You may have stopped my plans but you'll never get out of there on time. You'll be crushed by the maze castle. Don't think that simply because you found a guide in those little holographic dots it assures you'll make it out, it' not like that at all. There are many traps waiting up ahead. You'll never make it out on time and I have already made my escape!" The screen changed to show a count down. They only had a few minutes to return to the Starcruiser and leave the castle which was floating in space and was about to blow up.

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On Earth, Noah tapped Betty's shoulder. "Betty is time to go to the movies." He was amazed by her skills playing Pac-Man but didn't want to spend the entire day standing there squished by the crowd that was trying to see her play.

"Most accomplish mission," Robo-Betty repeated monotone. She was programmed not to abandon any task until it had been properly completed and he had told her to win.

"But Betty, we'll miss the movie," Noah insisted.

"Shut up kid you heard her," another boy voiced.

"Yeah let us watch!" A girl added. Clearly, they rather have Betty continue playing than leave. They all wanted to know how long she would last.

Noah sighed and let them be. He watched the screen and wondered how long the arcade game was and if it was truly endless.

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Atomic Betty kicked a robot that had attacked them, crating a deep dent on its metal armor. "The path is clear let's hurry!" They only took a few steps forwards when the floor beneath their feet began to shake. They jumped forward as the floor behind them opened up revealing a hidden compartment under it. From under the floor, a large laser cannon was brought to their level. Immediately, it opened fire, missing them narrowly as they turned a corner.

More combat robots were waiting ahead, blocking their path as their time to escape continued to run out. "Captain, we only have one minute left to escape," X-5 pointed out.

"We're going to die!" Sparky started to panic again.

Betty herself was quite worried but kept her cool. They had escaped from dangerous situations in the past and they could do it again. "We'll make it out, we have to make it out and we will!"

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"Your evilness, you have to turn back!" Minimus switched from one face to another, unable to decide which one to keep in the moment of tension.

"I'm almost there, I'm going to make it!" Maximus kept saying over and over as he pushed the joy stick harder and it began to crack.

The yellow cat-like ball known as Pac-Cat reached the red ball of yarn a spilt second before the ghost reached the protagonist. The yarn magically wrapped itself around the yellow ball turning into a cape and mask. The super powered feline yellow ball, bit the ghost, swallowing it in one gulp and chased after its ghostly companions, who were right behind the first. It ate one after the other and the last cookie was up ahead. Suddenly the power of the ball of yarn ran out and the cape and mask disappeared, but it didn't matter. The ghosts would take a moment to recover and the last cookie in the entire maze was straight ahead.

"You're going to make it your evilness!" Minimus cheered, at least he wouldn't get hit on the head because Maximus lost.

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"We have thirty seconds left to escape before the maze castle explodes," X-5 announced as their battle continued. The seconds passed quickly and they were still fighting robots, trying to make their way out. "Fifteen seconds!"

"There's the Starcruiser!" Atomic Betty called. They rushed into their ship, hoping that they could get far enough from the explosion.

The Starcruiser took off at full speed, leaving the maze castle behind. The force of the explosion shook the ship violently. "Engage stabilizers," Atomic Betty reminded and soon the ship was stabilized and all was at peace. "Dr. Cerebral might have escaped, but his new base and all the weapons in it were destroyed."

"I knew we would make it. I didn't doubt it for a second," Sparky extra hungry after the adventure. "All that excitement made me hungry!"

"Everything makes you hungry," X-5 concluded. Another mission had been accomplished.

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Maximus' lair, the joy stick the super villain held snapped, broken off the base of the control and the yellow ball on the video game hologram he was playing came to a sudden stop. "No, don't stop now! The ghosts turned into floating eyes, but they'll be back! They'll come back to eat you!" Of course the cat yellow ball didn't move. "C'mon you have to move, I've never been this close to winning before!" It was no use. The broken control didn't have any effects on the game.

Soon the ghosts returned, fully recovered and ate the yellow feline ball, a few pixels away from the very last cookie that would have marked a victory. The words 'Game Over' appeared in 3D on the hologram as the maze disappeared and the rest of the room was left in darkness. "I lost... After all that hard work I came so close and yet I still lost. Is it because I'm evil? Does that mean I can never win at this game? Why is it that I can win against myself in Atomic Betty's video game, but I can never beat a bunch of edible ghosts at Pac-Cat?"

"I knew you played her game." An angry glare from Maximus made it quite clear to Minimus that it was best to pretend he didn't hear that part. "It's too bad you didn't win at Pac-Cat your evilness," Minimus corrected himself. He switched to his angry face, which looked amused by the unexpected turn of events. "I knew you would lose one way or another." To try to avoid the inevitable hit to the head that would come, Minimus quickly switched faces again and added. "You were so close to winning that next time you'll win for sure."

"I wanted to win this time! This is all your fault!" Maximus did not stop hitting Minimus on the head with the base of the broken control until it fell apart completely.

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On Earth, the robotic Betty, actually finished the Pac-Man game, which wasn't endless after all. Pac-Man, his wife Mrs. Pac-Man and their two children Pac-Jr. and Pac-Baby, danced around the screen as people clapped and cheered. "Now I must," she paused "go to the movies."

"The movie is over," Noah informed. "Although I have to admit, winning the Pac-Man game everyone thought was endless is pretty cool. Next time we go to a movie, let's go straight there, okay? C'mon we better leave, it's late." The sun had long since sunk into the horizon and the stars shone brightly in the sky, as the boy and the robot walked back to the home of the girl who was in space, on her way to Earth. Robo-Betty did not answer. It was as if she felt very tired, exhausted, as if her battery needed to be recharged.

The Starcruiser reached Earth and beamed up the robot as it walked towards Betty's house along with Noah. The earthling boy kept on trying to have the friendly conversation he wasn't given the chance to speak during their time at the arcade. For a moment he glanced at where Betty used to be and saw nothing but empty space, while on the ship, Betty stepped into the glass where the beam would activate.

"See ya tomorrow chief!" Sparky activated the beam and sent Betty back to Earth.

"Who are you looking for Noah?" Noah jumped, hearing Betty's sudden voice. At least he didn't get that odd feeling from her anymore, as if she wasn't herself. He decided not to mention it.

"I was looking for you... Never mind. You certainly earned a name for yourself today at the arcade by winning at Pac-Man. Everyone thought the game didn't have an end," Noah commented.

The robot had actually won at Pac-Man? Betty also thought the arcade version of the Pac-Man game was designed to be endless, like Columns. Another Galactic Guardian had once proven that the arcade Columns was in fact endless. "That was fun," Betty pretended she was there. "The movie was good too. I had a lot of fun today."

"The movie? What movie?" Noah asked. "You spent all this time in the arcade remember? That Pac-Man game is really long."

"Oh right, I almost forgot." Before she made another mistake, Betty thought it was best to leave. "It's kind of late I should go inside. Thanks for walking me home." Betty dashed into her house leaving a very confused Noah standing the sidewalk.

"Sometimes she's so strange it's like she's not from Earth." Noah turned in the direction to his house and started walking.

End of Planet 105

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**Planet 106: New Episode**

Chef Bernadette slept peacefully, dreaming of a new recipe. One that she thought someone as bratty as Maximus didn't deserve to eat, but she would cook it for him anyway, if only to show off her skills as a chef. However, her peaceful sleep was interrupted by the sound of a loud alarm, or rather several alarms. "The lair is under attack!" Bernadette jumped to her feet. She ran out of her room, still wearing her pajamas decorated in little pictures of cupcakes and went to the kitchen to save her most precious kitchen appliances. There was no way she was going to abandon her golden kitchen utensils.

The first thing she grabbed from the kitchen was her lucky golden frying pan. If the invaders got in before she got out and escaped, this could be of a lot of help. She had studied many forms of cooking and many others things related to being a chef, even a special fighting style created by the legendary chef Ukyo, whose home planet still remains a secret even almost ten years after she was last seen. The doors of the large kitchen started to open and several knives, forks and spatulas where thrown at the intruder, meant to miss only by a little to give the stranger a little scare as a warning. The intruder stopped moving and Bernadette almost hit him with the frying pan, but stopped less than an inch away from her target. "Minimus it's you, I thought it was the invader."

"What invader?" Minimus looked as if he still hasn't recovered his natural color and it would probably take a while for it to come back. His voice was barely above a whisper as if he wanted to say something but couldn't get himself to speak up.

"Don't you hear the alarms? The lair is under attack!" Bernadette knew this wasn't the galactic guardians; a different sounding alarm went off if the security system detected their presence. Even so, Atomic Betty had managed to sneak into Maximus' lair many times.

"Actually, there is no attack. You see, his evilness has something very important to do this morning," Minimus started explaining. As the sidekick told the story, Bernadette felt like hitting Maximus with her frying pan for setting all those alarms just so he wouldn't miss a show on TV.

At the same time as the alarms sounded, Maximus had woken up. He jumped out of bed, happy that it was finally time to watch that new episode. "Fifteen minutes!" He ran to the bathroom and five minutes later he had already changed his clothes, brushed his teeth, taken a sonic shower, and was sitting in front of the TV. "Good, I'm ten minutes early, just in case." He turned on the TV but it didn't work. The TV was on, but the screen remained black. Feeling the panic starting to grow, he desperately searched for the source of the problem. Every cable and wire was where it was supposed to be. He tried a different TV, but it didn't work. Apparently the lair couldn't catch the signal from the TV station. There could be a number of reasons for that, a strong electric space storm being the most usual possibility, but he refused to believe it. Yesterday on TV they said there wouldn't be any space storms for a while, so what could be messing up the signal?

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Sparky stumbled down the stairs and sat in the living room, staring at the TV. "Mahmoola, can I have some popcorn, please?" He was not moving from his place in front of the black screen of the TV and not taking his eyes off it.

"Eat your breakfast first and then you can have popcorn," Zulia gave Sparky a gigantic bowl of cereal and a very tall tower of pancakes with a large bucket of juice, made from a fruit that grew on Mars.

"Okay Mahmoola," as it was to be expected Sparkly had no objections to that and happily started eating the extra food. "This is the longest black screen commercial I've ever seen."

"That's not a commercial sweetie, the signal is out today." When he heard his mother's voice, Sparky nearly chocked. He stopped eating and stared at the black screen in surprise, before bursting into tears. "Aw Sparky don't cry," Zulia tried to calm him. "You can watch TV later."

"But they might never air this episode again!" Sparky complained, even if he knew there was a possibility it might be rerun next week, but a week was a long time to wait. "I want to watch it! I've been looking forward to it all week!" He continued crying, sending a flood of tears all over the living room.

"Maybe you can watch it from the Starcruiser with X-5," Zulia suggested.

"That's right! I better hurry or I'll miss the theme song, see you later Mahmoola." Sparky picked up his food and ran out of the house, eating everything, including the dishes, on the way out.

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Sparky tried to call the Starcruiser but it didn't work. "Oh, no the communication system's out too!" Sparky activated his jet pack and took off. He continued flying until he arrived at the Galactic Guardians Headquarters. He couldn't find the Starcruiser so he ran all over headquarters looking for a TV that had a signal, but none of them did. "Admiral Degill, help! I'm having an emergency, I can't find a TV that's getting a signal! I would go to the TV station but, it's in the other side of the galaxy and I'll never make it on time!"

"Sparky calm down," Admiral Degill spoke. "We're having a real emergency right now. None of the communication or broadcast systems on most of the galaxy are working. We need to find out what's causing it, but I can't contact Atomic Betty or X-5."

"That's it! That's why I couldn't watch the show. When I find out who's making me miss my show they'll be sorry!" Sparky stormed out of the office. His first guess was that Maximus was behind this, after all he was supposed to be the most evil super villain in the galaxy and what could be more evil than this?

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As Sparky arrived near the lair, he saw Maximus' ship fly away and tried to chase after it, but his jet pack overheated. "No! I'm trapped floating in outer space in enemy territory and what's worse, I'm missing a new episode of my favorite show!"

Sparky only floated there for a few minutes, but to him it felt like an eternity because a lot can happen in a few minutes on TV. X-5 soon arrived and picked him up. "I got back from visiting my uncle B-1 and Admiral Degill informed me of the situation. I said there was a ninety nine point nice percent chance that you really did go after Maximus yourself and I was right."

"We can argue about that later, right now I'm missing the show!" Sparky complained.

"We need to find the captain," X-5 reminded. "Unfortunately it's impossible to contact her on her bracelet."

Sparky nodded. "Right, we need the chief. She'll teach Maximus not to mess with my favorite show!"

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Maximus' ship, he was very impatient. "Are we going at full speed?"

"Yes, your evilness" Minimus assured. They were going far faster than the speed of light and even with the ship's shields at maximum, they could still feel some of the pressure from the speed.

"Make sure you're on the lookout for the cause of this. If I find it here I won't have to go all the way to the other side of the galaxy after all," Maximus ordered.

"But your evilness, the radars aren't working," Minimus reminded.

"I know that! Go look out the window," Maximus rolled up his sleeves to reveal five high tech watches on each arm. He was wearing them as an extra precaution to make sure he didn't sleep in, forget or lose track of time, plus each watch had a 3D TV system so he could check to see if the show was on any time. Angry that he had already missed fifteen minutes of the show, Maximus pulled off one of the watches and stepped on it until it hardly looked like a watch at all.

"I don't think I can see anything outside going at this speed your supreme temper tantrumness," Minimus noticed that the watch closest to his hand on his left arm looked like a galactic guardian watch, which was obviously an imitation and not a real galactic guardian watch, Minimus decided it was best not to comment on it. Maximus was angry enough as it was and he didn't want to make it worse.

"Then go outside!" Maximus threw a helmet at Minimus. He tied a rope around the sidekick and kicked him out. Maximus almost fell out himself, but managed to stay inside the ship. The ship would have a few scratches where he held onto it with his claws to void falling.

Minimus was left to be pulled by the ship so fast it was as if he was in suspended animation, a very painful suspended animation that he still felt. He was awake, but he couldn't move and he didn't even know if he was breathing. At least Maximus gave him a space helmet.

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Back at the lair, chef Bernadette was left to plot her revenge. A chef needed to get a good night's sleep. Maybe she should leave the lair for a while, but then she would have to get up earlier to make it in time to cook breakfast. Maybe she should let Maximus starve or maybe the exact opposite would be the best revenge. She smiled evilly as she cooked. It was good that she decided not to hit him with her golden frying pan after all. There was another form of revenge that could become more interesting. "You just wait Maximus when you come back I'll have lots of sugary snacks for you. Oh, you'll be happy about it, you'll love the sugary treats and you'll have no idea you're falling into a trap. I'm sure you'll ask for more and I'll keep on cooking. Oh, yes I'll continue to feed you sugar until you weight a billion pounds and can't even reach for the remote control. How will you watch your beloved show then?" Bernadette's own version of the evil laugh echoed all over the lair.

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The Starcruiser floated near the atmosphere of Earth. "Alright I'm ready to go!" Sparky was in a hurry.

"No, that's not right. You look like a green lynx not a human," X-5 disapproved.

Sparky was trying to get his holographic disguise to work, but it kept turning him into the wrong species. "How about now?"

"Now you look like the robot version of yourself. It's hard to believe that version is even more annoying then the original," X-5 answered.

"I need to find the chief so we can stop Maximus and watch the show! I'm going with the next disguise no matter what it is. It's already been more than fifteen minutes and I'm in a big hurry!" Sparky pressed the symbol on his belt again and this time turned into a human.

"You got lucky," X-5 concluded.

"It's not luck it's skill, now beam me down before the show ends!" Sparky urged.

"Don't do anything stupid on Earth. I know it's hard for you, but try to avoid it," X-5 really didn't think it was a good idea to send Sparky out on a mission when all he could think about was that he was missing that show, but they had to find Betty. With the galactic guardian's ships and headquarters unable to communicate, the galaxy could be in great danger.

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At Betty's house on Earth, her mother tried to fix the TV while Betty was in school. "I wish someone was here to help me fix this." Her husband was already at work and she was missing her favorite show. "Purrsey honey, please hold this for mommy." She gave Purrsey a TV antennae and placed him on top of the TV. "A little to the left, now to the right, this isn't working C'mon Purrsey, let's go check the roof, cats are supposed to be good at climbing." Suddenly Purrsey actually missed Betty, if she was there she would be the one doing this.

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Sparky was beamed down to Earth in his new and improved human disguise. He walked around Betty's school without attracting too much attention. The bell hasn't rung yet, but Betty was usually at school early to finish the homework she had to put off due to her duties as a galactic guardian. "Chief, I mean Betty! Betty!" He ran and yelled her name, if he didn't find her quickly he would miss the entire show.

"Watch where you're going!" Penelope screamed into his face when he bumped into her. She got up and took a better look at who she bumped into then smiled. "Hello, you must be new here. I'm Penelope the prettiest girl in school and Canada and even the Earth. Why are you in such a hurry?" Penelope batted her eye lashes and winked, which scared Sparky out of his mind.

"Chief, save me!" He ran away as fast as he could. He didn't understand. Last time he was on Earth he could safely assume Penelope hated him and now this just because his disguise was different? He liked it better when she hated him.

"Sparky?" At the other side of the building, Betty heard the echo of his voice in a terrified cry for help.

"Sparky?" Noah repeated confused. "Are you even listening to what I'm saying?"

"I have to go, see you later," Betty ran more or less in the direction she thought Sparky's screams came from.

"Betty, I was looking for you to tell about," Paloma started.

"We can talk later. I'm in kind of a hurry right now, sorry!" Betty ran by.

"Sure see you later," Paloma watched Betty turn a corner and disappear into another hallway, she had a pretty good idea what was going on.

"Sparky!" Betty recognized him despite the human disguise.

"Chief!" Sparky ran to her and glomped her like a fan boy. "I'm so happy to see you chief, Penelope has gone crazy, don't let her get me!" He noticed the blue color forming in Betty's face and let her go so she could breath.

Betty took a deep breath then asked. "What's going on?" Sparky told the story so quickly that Betty couldn't understand what he was saying. She decided it was best to find a place where no one saw them and go to the Starcruiser.

Hiding wasn't the problem, letting X-5 know it was time to beam them up was. "I'll miss the entire episode!" Sparky cried. Then suddenly they were beamed up.

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"I calculated the estimated time that would take you to find the captain. Since the communication system doesn't work, I analyzed the possible hiding places to be beamed up from and as usual, I was correct," X-5 announced.

"No, you were late!" Sparky complained. "Every second that passes is a second of my favorite show that I'm missing! Let's go stop Maximus!"

"What exactly is going on?" Atomic Betty asked and before Sparky could give her a super fast explanation that she didn't understand, she clarified that the question was directed at X-5.

"None of the communication and broadcast systems in the galaxy are working at the moment. Sparky suspects its Maximus' doing, but that is yet to be confirmed," X-5 explained.

"I guess we'll find out, set a course for Maximus' lair," Atomic Betty decided.

"But he's not in the lair, I saw his ship leave!" Sparky informed.

"Worse yet, if he is behind this, he must be already attacking and the galactic guardians can't communicate. Let's head in the direction where you last saw him." Betty knew there was no point in trying to track the ship, since the radar systems were down too. Even her bracelet's control of the Starcruiser didn't work.

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Maximus' ship was moving so fast he flew into a black hole that threw him back at the lair. Without any fuel left, the ship floated around the lair. "No! Why did that black hole have to throw me here? I need to go watch he show at the TV station!" Maximus complained as another of his watches fell victim to his temper tantrums. He had broken most of them by now. It had already been twenty five minutes since the show was supposed to start, but he wasn't giving up.

The Starcruiser flew by soon after and they saw Maximus' ship. "He was at the lair. Just as I thought," X-5 was happy that his statistics were correct.

"He must have come back again. I know I saw him leave, but let's argue about it later, I'm still missing the show and it's a new episode!" Sparky emphasized.

At that very moment, a strange machine floated by. It looked like some kind of odd flying saucer with many satellites attached to it. The satellites absorbed all the communications and broadcasts, preventing them from reaching their destination. Maximus left his ship with a space helmet and a jetpack. "What are you doing?" He looked at the flying saucer.

From the flying saucer a door opened and Dr. Cerebral came out. "It's my turn to take over the galaxy today!"

"You mean it's your turn to try to take over the galaxy today, that is try and fail," Maximus corrected.

"I won't fail! With the galaxy's communication systems completely under my control I will become the ruler of the galaxy!" Dr. Cerebral made a cheap imitation of Maximus' evil laugh.

"I have my evil laugh copyrighted you know. But I guess I can't really sue you because that pitiful excuse for a giggle sounded nothing like the real evil laugh!" Maximus did his classic evil laugh to prove it. "This is for making me miss my favorite show!" Maximus drew his light saber and jumped into the center of the flying saucer. The light saber went in at the ship's weak spot and a few small explosions started. Maximus quickly got out of the way and flew back to his lair before the big explosion came.

"No! Maximus you're a cheater!" Dr. Cerebral's brain in the fishbowl, the only part left after the explosion yelled. The brain was beamed up to the Starcruiser to be arrested.

"Sparky what's wrong?" Atomic Betty was surprised that Maximus was the one who stopped Dr. Cerebral too, but Sparky stayed like a statue looking surprised.

"The show is already over!" Sparky cried.

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Chef Bernadette's sweet revenge backfired. The extra sugar made Maximus so hyper he didn't stand still for a second, he didn't sleep and he didn't shut up, plus he was a lot more annoying than usual.

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On Earth, Betty's mother was still trying to get the TV to work when Dr. Cerebral's flying saucer was destroyed. "Hold it right there Purrsey, don't move!" On the roof, Purrsey really missed Betty.

End of Planet 106

Disclaimer, I do not own Atomic Betty, Star Wars, Pac-Man, Columns or Ranma 1/2. Ichigo is strawberry in Japanese and Guineo is banana in Spanish.


	31. Part 31

Atomic Galaxy

Planet 107: Star Crossed Lovers

It didn't look like Maximus would be able to steal any of the treasure after all. It was heavily guarded by at least a dozen galactic guardian teams including Atomic Betty. He returned to his ship to plan a strategy. There was no way he going to let such an opportunity pass him by. It wasn't all about the treasure but what it represented. It was a peace offering between two kingdoms and if anything at all was missing, then it would not be accepted.

As he headed back to his ship, Maximus thought he stepped on something. The small planet in between the two that were at war was covered in a dense forest. He looked to the ground and in the bright light of the three medium sized moons he saw something shiny. "Minimus what's that on the ground?"

Minimus, who always followed Maximus in all his missions of evil, dug a little and pulled out the shiny object. He cleaned it a up a bit before handing it to Maximus. "It looks like a ring your evilness."

After Minimus gave him the ring, they continued walking back to the ship while Maximus examined it. "It looks like it might be valuable." The ring was designed for a woman, possibly an engagement ring and the jewel appeared to shine in different colors depending on the light. Once inside in the brighter light of the ship, Maximus noticed an inscription. "Alpha," he read the name. He didn't know why, but the name sounded familiar. "Minimus did you do some research on the cause of this war?"

"Yes, your evilness, a long time ago, two star crossed lovers one from each of the planets that are at war now, ran away together. I couldn't find a clear story and there are many versions of this legend, but apparently they all agree on a few things. A young woman died and her family blamed it on the family of her lover. I believe she was a princess by the name of Alka, Alria or Alpha, that last one is the one used most often in the legends."

"This ring must be a part of the treasure. How careless that they lost it and now I have it. Without this, the peace offering will be incomplete and the war will continue!" Maximus laughed evilly. It looked as if this was a lot easier then he planned. "Let's go back to the lair. By tomorrow this war will be all over the news and I'll be enjoying the show." It was late when they returned to the lair. Maximus placed the ring on a shelf in his room and went to sleep.

xoxox xox xoxox

Just as Maximus expected, when the next day came and the peace offering was found to be incomplete, the war continued worse then ever. Maximus sat in his bed watching the early morning news. After doing something this evil, he could take a break and be a little lazy for the next few days. They said Atomic Betty would be searching for the missing ring. She would never find it. She wasn't even aware that he was on that planet, let alone that he took it. After the news changed the subject, he turned off the TV and decided to go back to sleep until lunch time.

He rolled on his side so he was facing a wall with the shelf where he had left the ring. Then he noticed something out of place. The ring was there alright, but there was something else next to it. He got up, walked over to the shelf and looked at the new item. It looked like a very old piece of plastic more or less in the shape of a body with a burnt piece of cloth wrapped around it. It was some sort of old burnt doll, but what was that doing there?

Maximus didn't put it there and no one had been inside his room, unless Minimus snuck in at night while he was sleeping and put that ugly thing there to play a weird joke on him. "Minimus!"

Minimus came running. "You called your evilness?"

"Could you tell me what that is doing there?" Maximus pointed at the shelf where the doll used to be, without looking in that direction. He was still looking at Minimus when the sidekick looked confused. "Well?"

"It's the ring you found yesterday," Minimus finally answered. How could Maximus forget about it so soon? Yesterday he gave a speech about how the missing ring will cause a war and now he didn't even remember it. That made no sense, even for him.

"Not that. I'm talking about that ugly, hey where did it go?" Maximus picked up the ring and stared at the empty space on the shelf. The doll that was there before was no where to be found. "You're playing a joke on me," he glared daggers at Minimus.

"No and I don't understand what you're talking about your evilness," Minimus was thinking that Maximus had finally lost it. Maximus simply hit him on the head and kicked him out.

Once Minimus was gone, Maximus locked the door. He placed the ring on a small table beside his bed and went back to sleep. Soon he started to have a strange dream almost immediately after falling asleep. "Don't let them forget. I waited for this moment too long. Help me tell them the truth, only then I can go with him. Guide them to the truth."

He was in a dark garden with many flowers and a fountain at the end of the path. It was night time and there were two large moons in the sky and a small one, less then half the size of the other two. Standing in front of the fountain was a ghostly woman wearing an elegant dress and a tiara. The light red of her dress became transparent at the bottom of the skirt and she appeared to have no feet. She just floated a few feet from the ground. "They tried to forget, they tried to erase it. Only the blood of the one and only witness of our union can help me now. Give the ring to one from that blood line and things will slowly be solved.

Maximus woke up out of breath at the edge of his bed. A little more and he would fall off, which was very unusual considering how big it was. Usually he had enough space to move around in his sleep without coming close to the edge. His pillows where tossed around the bed and some on the floor. His plushie had somehow landed all the way on his desk and in front of it was another pillow on the floor.

The blanket was in a knot around him. He looked to the table where he placed the ring, but it wasn't there. Wait, he felt something in the palm of his hand. He was holding that strange ring. A cold chill ran down his spine. He couldn't get that dream out of his head. He shook his head and tried to convince himself it was only a dream. He placed the ring inside a drawer and picked up his plushie hugging it.

"It was just a dream and nothing more." He told himself. He placed the plushie on a chair and went off to change out of his pajamas. He didn't feel like sleeping in anymore and he would get Minimus to pick up this mess later.

xoxox xox xoxox

At the Galactic Guardians Head Quarters, Admiral Degill paced around his office. "That ring was the most important part of the treasure. From what I've learned so far, princess Alpha was wearing it when she was found, but her mother threw it into a lake and refused to bury her daughter's dead body with that ring. Just before the princess's funeral, they saw her wearing that ring and didn't know how she got it. Her father held on to it while she was buried and ordered it to be destroyed later since they blamed the man who gave it to her for her death. This was such a tragic event it was forced into forgetfulness and it turned into a legend a lot faster then it normally happens with such stories. Now the war continues, even if only two generations later they didn't know why they fought. They want that ring back, maybe as proof of the past or to erase it completely." Degill had tried to talk to the current rulers of both kingdoms but it was no use. Without the peace offering being complete, there would be no peace.

Betty, Sparky and X-5 looked at each other, as if trying to find an answer in the other. They didn't know what could have happened to the ring. The treasures were kept safe by the galactic guardians and they haven't seen anyone who wasn't either a galactic guardian or a royal guard in the area. "We'll start an investigation and find out what happened to that ring." Betty was determined.

"I'll leave the investigation to you, Atomic Betty. We're all counting on you," Admiral Degill dismissed them. They saluted and left.

xoxox xox xoxox

Their first step in this investigation was to find out who was transporting the ring to the small planet in between the two kingdoms. They examined the profile they were given by the royal guards and the guard assigned for this task appeared to be trustworthy, but they wouldn't know unless they interviewed him. He looked nervous and worried, which made him look suspicious during the interview. "Tell us the truth," Atomic Betty insisted. "If you are as you say innocent then you have nothing to fear."

"I saw her," The guard was full of fear. "I saw the ghost of princess Alpha. She said that the past couldn't be forgotten without the truth being revealed and told me that she would rather have the ring be lost than destroyed or locked way and forgotten along with the injustice of the past. I was terrified of the ghost, it's nothing like fighting dragons and thieves. I dropped the ring on the ground and closed the small chest where it was, then the ghost disappeared. I brought the empty chest into the room where all the treasure of the peace offering would be kept. The ring must be on the ground somewhere, but the ghost might be guarding it."

"That sounds scary," Sparky shivered.

"It sounds illogical," X-5 reasoned. "I don't believe him. What about you captain?"

"If this story was true, then someone must have found the ring already. The royal family sent enough guards to cover the entire planet. If you dropped it there it should have been found, unless someone stole it, but who and why?" Betty didn't quite believe the man's story, but she had to admit if he was lying, he was a great actor. "I'll leave this as it is for now and save judgment for later. Let's ask the guards who are in the search."

xoxox xox xoxox

No one knew anything about the ring. They claimed that they haven't found anything at all. The one transporting the ring was the primary suspect, but it didn't make any sense when compared to his loyal background. If he did see something, ghost or not, that made him drop the ring, then that made the entire search team, which was quite numerous, suspects too. She didn't like the sound of this possibility, but it could have been someone in the galactic guardians. Then again, a thief could have created the ghost illusion with a hologram and stolen the ring, but no one was seen there and sadly there were many thieves in that galaxy.

Another point was that this conflict had been on the news a lot lately and it could be seen by the super villains as an opportunity to gain a more evil reputation. If that was the case, then it should make it easier, since professional super villains tend to announce their crimes. Then again, whoever stole it might be keeping it a secret to affect the kingdoms by keeping them at war. The trail was unclear and there were too many suspects. If only there was a way to eliminate the possibilities and come up with the culprit or find a new lead. This was one of those missions where they would have to play detectives.

xoxox xox xoxox

It had been three days since the investigation started and no real clues were found. There were too many suspects, too many possibilities. Meanwhile, Maximus was getting impatient. Even if it wasn't too long ago that the war was restarted, he wanted to announce that he caused it and get the credit. "Minimus, go find that ring from the basement."

"Do I have to your evilness? I think it's cursed." In the last few days, strange things had happened in the lair, involving the ghost of a young woman and an old doll.

Everything always happened near the ring, so Maximus had moved it to the basement, but he would need to have it as proof that he was responsible for stealing it. "Go get it now!"

xoxox xox xoxox

Minimus knew that one way or another, he would end up getting that ring from the basement. He had no choice so he went to get it. "Hello, ghost lady?" He entered the basement area of the lair. "I don't mean to bother you, but the boss told me to give him the ring so he can announce that he stole it. He's the one who sent me so if you're going to curse anyone, it's his evilness' fault not mine." Everything appeared to be quiet. Maybe the ghost was sleeping, if ghosts even sleep.

Suddenly from behind a pile of old boxes, a little girl jumped out. "Hi!"

"Ah! Your evilness!" Minimus started running, but stopped at the door. It was just a little girl, not a ghost. He cautiously walked back to where she was. "How did you get in here?"

"Things are not what they appear to be. They need to understand," the little girl disappeared.

Now he was sure she really was a ghost, the ghost lady must have disguised herself. "Your evilness!" This time Minimus didn't stop until he was out of the basement. He closed the door and continued running.

"Minimus what is taking so long? You had better not lost that ring," Maximus had no intentions of going into the basement by himself, but Minimus was taking too long. Did he forget where he put the ring?

The sidekick came running and bumped into Maximus. "I saw, I saw... ow!"

Maximus hit him on the head. "Watch where you're going! What is it that you saw?"

"I saw a little girl and then she disappeared. She looked like the ghost lady from yesterday, only younger." Minimus stammered. "Do we have to keep that ring here your evilness?"

"No, I'll announce that I stole it today then hide it somewhere. Too many strange things have been happening around here." Maximus decided. "Go back in there and get it, I need to have it at my evil press conference as proof."

"But your evilness, I don't want to!" Minimus complained.

"Go!" Maximus opened the door and kicked Minimus into the basement. He closed the door, "don't come out without it."

"Your evilness, don't leave me trapped in here with the ghost!" Minimus tried to open the door, but it was no use. The only way out was to get that ring. He kept an eye out for the ghost and carefully walked to the place where he had left the ring. There was no sign of the ghost. He picked it up with the end of two fingers, not wanting to touch it too much. "I have it your evilness, open the door."

Maximus opened the door but he didn't take the ring Minimus was trying to give him. "You're my sidekick, it's your job to carry things for me."

"But I don't want to carry it!" Minimus switched to his angry face and complained. "I always have to do the hard stuff. What if the ghost kills me? Who's going to be your sidekick then?"

"Shut up and let's go, I don't want to be late."

xoxox xox xoxox

That is how Atomic Betty, Sparky and X-5 recovered the missing ring. The fact that Maximus had announced his crime on universal TV made it a lot easier to find. But it wasn't over yet, for the ghost appeared once again to tell the story of her past. When Betty held the ring, she instantly fell unconscious and Sparky and X-5 had to take her back to the Starcruiser. No one was sure what happened. She appeared to be in a semi-normal condition. She was just sleeping and didn't wake up.

"Where am I?" Sparky and X-5 were not there. She was at a palace it looked familiar yet different at the same time. She tried to talk to people, but soon realized they couldn't see or hear her, as if she wasn't even there. She didn't know how she got there or where she was, but maybe if she listened to what was happening around her, she could figure it out.

"Do you think it's a good idea to come here?" A young man asked.

"Of course, it's a costume party, no one will recognize us." Another man, just a little younger then the first replied.

"You always have a way of getting us into trouble cousin," the first man spoke.

"Lighten up Centauri, we'll be fine as long as we're not recognized." His cousin was no longer listening. Centauri stood at the top of the stairs, looking down beyond the dance floor. He smiled and she smiled back, Alpha. It was as if they were the only people in the entire palace, planet and universe at that moment. Centauri's cousin looked towards the lady that had him in a trance. "No, not her, she's the daughter of our family's enemies. Our kingdoms have never gotten along, but if we all mind our own business, then life will proceed in relative peace. If she recognizes you and alerts the guards, we're in trouble."

"I cannot call such an angel my enemy," Centauri voiced.

Everything appeared to move faster. The world was in fast forward. Betty saw the rest of the events of the ball unfold in seconds. They danced, looking into each other eyes beyond the masks they wore as if in a trance.

Then the scene changed. Betty didn't know why, but she knew that months had passed between the night of the ball and the time where she was now. She was in a forest near a lake. There was a woman hiding in a tree and another woman running towards the lake, Alpha. The woman in the tree threw a dagger at Alpha. The dagger had the symbol of Centauri's family in the handle. It reached its unsuspecting target and Alpha fell with blood spilling from her chest.

The dagger reached her heart and killed her. Centauri was coming to meet with her there, but he arrived too late. The killer had already escaped. He found his love dead with a dagger marked with his family symbol in her heart. Just as he held her in his arms and tried to remove the dagger, the guards found him and accused him of her death.

What they didn't know was that Alpha had seen the killer a second before she died. That woman hiding in the tree was her sister. Alpha was the oldest of three sisters and it was the second oldest that had killed her for the throne. She considered Alpha to be a traitor unworthy of becoming queen.

With the symbol of Centauri's family in the dagger, she knew he would be blamed. They would probably wait for him to come meet her and accuse him of her death. Alpha promised for her love that until his name was cleared, she would not rest. Her spirit held on to her engagement ring, a symbol of their love, so tightly, that when it left her body, that is where it stayed.

Alpha's fianc e, her parents and her youngest sister cried for her and blamed Centauri. They sentenced him to a cruel death and then the war began. Alpha's spirit haunted the one who killed her until her sister tried to draw her spirit out of the ring into a doll that was hers when she was little. This was to weaken her spirit by changing the item in which it resides. It had to be something familiar to her, that's why she chose Alpha's old doll. She thought the spell had been successful and burned the doll to destroy Alpha's wondering soul. But her love for Centauri was too strong and her spirit stayed in the engagement ring.

As time passed, they thought the princess had gone insane with sadness caused by the death of her older sister. She constantly spoke of the spirit of Alpha tormenting her morning, noon and night, but she never told the truth about her sister's death. She became obsessed with unsuccessful spells until she left the planet forever.

She wanted to escape Alpha's spirit. She would not be queen, but she would never reveal the truth. The third and youngest princess, who knew nothing of the true story of her sisters, assumed the throne after that, but she never let anyone call her queen, she would always be the princess and always think of her sister Alpha as the only rightful queen.

Betty was now at a garden at night. There was a fountain at the end of the path. She walked towards it and saw someone hiding behind it in the darkness. She was a galactic guardian in a purple uniform. She looked familiar. "Granny?" Betty was surprised. Could this be her grandmother's past self?

A guard could be seen at the other side of the path. "Someone's coming," the galactic guardian spoke.

"Centauri, you need to leave," Alpha and Centaury were hiding near by.

"I know, but first I have something to give you," he placed the ring on Alpha's finger. "Alpha, will you marry me?"

"Your grandmother was the only one who knew of our engagement, she helped us see each other and protected out secret." Betty turned around to face the ghost of Alpha. "You are her direct descendant so I know I can trust you. As I promised on that day, I will not rest until the truth is revealed. I do not want Centauri to be thought of as the one who killed me."

"How can I help?" Betty asked.

"My sister kept a journal where she wrote all her secrets. She left in such haste she didn't take it along and it's still hidden in her room. No one has been allowed in there since she left," the ghost of Alpha revealed.

xoxox xox xoxox

Betty woke up in the Starcruiser. Sparky was hugging her and crying because she wouldn't wake up, while X-5 repeated, sounding like he was in denial, that this was completely illogical because her vital signs were fine, so she had to wake up. "Sparky, X-5!"

"Chief, you're alive!" Sparky cheered.

"It is wonderful that you finally woke up captain," X-5 added.

"Don't worry, I'm alright and I know what happened years ago. It's about time the truth was revealed and with some help from the Galactic Council, the doors to the truth will finally be opened." Atomic Betty was right, because it took that much to allow her to go into that sealed room. The journal revealing what truly happened years ago was found and with that and the ring, peace finally returned to that galaxy.

xoxox xox xoxox

As Atomic Betty, Sparky and X-5 headed out of the palace to the Starcruiser, she looked to the sky and thought she saw two figures dancing in the air, flying higher and higher until they became shooting stars in the distance.

"Twas nothing that could come between the star crossed lovers' dance, as when Alpha and Centauri fell into each other's trance."

End of Planet 107

Disclaimer: I do not own Atomic Betty. Special thanks to Barry I. Grauman. 


End file.
